| Austria's Best Network is Now Also Europe's Fastest: mobilkom austria Launches Commercial Operation of HSPA+ |
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www.mobilkom.at
Austrian operator mobilkom has unveiled Europe’s first commercial HSPA+ mobile broadband network with the support from Sweden’s Ericsson. In the first stage of the rollout, the HSPA+ network will cover Vienna’s 10th district, enabling peak download rates of up to 21 Mbps. More hotspots will be covered by the second quarter of 2009. HSPA+ data modems are available from the A1 Online Shop. With the introduction of HSPA+ mobilkom austria further expands its network capacity. The new technology allows speeds of up to a maximum of 21 Mbps. In the course of the year, speeds of up to 28.8 Mbps will become possible. The HSPA+ modem E270+ from Huawei is available immediately from the A1 Online Shop beginning at EUR 49. "Our 4.5 million customers can rely on the best, fastest and most secure network," says Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter, CMO mobilkom austria and CEO Telekom Austria TA. "With the launch of HSPA+, we are once again showing our innovative strength as an operator on the European market – resulting directly in an even higher web surfing speeds for our customers." Alan Hadden, President of the GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) adds: "I have been following the activities of mobilkom austria for several years. This company knows how to shape the market through new technologies. Austria has the highest mobile broadband penetration. So it is also natural that the Austrian market leader is the first operator in Europe to introduce HSPA+ and is already now planning for future network capacity." The new technology – from network provider Ericsson – uses the 64 QAM modulation method, which allows for more efficient channel utilization. The next stage of development will additionally use MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output). By using multiple transmission paths, MIMO makes it possible to achieve even better results in bandwidth. Effective immediately, HSPA+ is available in parts of the 10th district of Vienna. Further areas in Austria will be equipped with the data turbo by year's end. More Capacity in Traffic-Intensive Areas mobilkom austria already reaches 99% of the population with mobile broadband. With the rise in usage, customers' demands are increasing as well. For this reason mobilkom austria is continuously working on developing its network. For one thing, the network is being expanded: In the course of the year, 90% of Austrians will have UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA coverage. Parallel to this, new technologies are being introduced in areas with increased data traffic. In addition to HSPA+, mobilkom austria will also offer HSUPA 5.7 as of April in the traffic-intensive parts of the network. This new technology provides for upload speeds of up to 5.7 Mbps and can be used with a wide range of existing hardware. The required software upgrade will be available free of charge from www.A1.net as of April. "In January 2009, more than 10 terabytes of data were transferred through the network of mobilkom austria within a single day for first time ever – equivalent to the data volume of 3.5 million MP3 files or 30 million average websites," says Ulrich Rokita, Division Head of Network Planning at mobilkom austria. "The quality of our network, attractive package prices and the ongoing improvement in usability and speed are the reasons for the huge increase in customer numbers and intensity of use," adds Ametsreiter. Mobile Broadband – A mobilkom austria Success Story Internationally, Austria is among the pioneers in mobile broadband: There are already broadband customers in almost every third household, and four out of five households intend to get mobile broadband. In the mobilkom austria network, the number of broadband customers has tripled in recent years. In the period from the end of 2006 until the end of 2008, the number of customers rose from 120,000 to 400,000. The main reason for customers to choose mobile broadband is mobility, followed by ease of use, attractive prices and the speed of data transfer, which is continually rising thanks to new technologies. Around two-thirds see the potential for increased efficiency through mobile broadband, since it is possible to respond quickly – to e-mails, for example. The second major advantage is the ability to always stay up-to-date while on the go. The proportion of business customers is growing strongly and more and more younger and older people are opting for fast mobile internet access. mobilkom austria: Network Innovations as Foundation for Success The introduction of HSPA+ is the latest milestone in mobilkom austria's history of innovation, the success of which is based on constant network innovations. mobilkom austria milestones:
- 2000: First nationwide GPRS network worldwide |
