AIRCOM International, the network planning and optimisation company, has published a report highlighting the short-term commercial advantages of HSPA+ technology. AIRCOM has identified HSPA+ as a compelling alternative to LTE for operators considering their mobile broadband migration strategies. It offers significantly reduced capital expenditure (CAPEX) investment compared to LTE and higher return on investment (ROI). HSPA+ technology offers peak downlink speeds of up to 21 Mbps without any additional antenna infrastructure or second carrier.

AIRCOM International, a leading independent network planning and optimisation company, is today announcing expert analysis highlighting why HSPA+ could make short-term commercial sense to a wide range of 3GPP operators contemplating their mobile broadband network migration strategies. ROI (return on investment) and new pricing models are the key factors. 

As operators continue to address the rapidly increasing demand for mobile data, further attention and financial investment has been committed to upgrade existing network infrastructure. With peak download speeds above 100 Mbps being suggested, LTE has been widely hailed as the panacea for operators’ congestion troubles.

Based on in-depth analysis of network infrastructure requirements, AIRCOM identifies HSPA+ as a compelling alternative for operators’ mobile broadband strategies.

Available today, the technology offers up to 21Mbps without any additional antenna infrastructure or second carrier – allowing users to experience mobile broadband around five times faster than the current average of 3.6Mbps. HSPA+ also allows mobile operators to control service provisioning and prioritisation, delivering Quality of Experience (QoE) and Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees.

Fundamentally, deployment of HSPA+ offers significantly reduced CAPEX investment compared to LTE. Reduction for a UK operator could be as much as £345 million in 12 months; as much as $1.19 billion for a US operator.

AIRCOM Services Director (Product Management), Fabricio Martinez, responsible for providing the industry with the ‘cost of LTE’ reality check in late 2009, says: "There is great pressure on operators to upgrade their networks and improve the level of service they deliver to consumers and enterprise customers. The so-called ‘iPhone effect’ is piling pressure on to existing infrastructure. There is a real and immediate need for operators to upgrade their networks, but LTE is not the answer – today at least.

"HSPA+ is able to meet – and exceed – current data demands, delivering a theoretical maximum of 21Mbps and an average experience of around 16Mbps. With average mobile broadband users experiencing around 3.6Mbps, this is a significant increase.

"The increase in speed enables operators to do two things: to combat price erosion, and to offer sophisticated service provisioning. As operators are able to prioritise data traffic and users, QoE can be assured, data speeds can be controlled, and we will see a tiered pricing model emerge, mirroring the fixed line broadband business.
"The most important factor in deciding a future network technology is ROI. Due to the low CAPEX investment and new revenue opportunities, deployment of HSPA+ will allow operators to see ROI in three years; perfect timing to upgrade to LTE, when that technology’s ecosystem has matured, devices have come to market, and equipment prices have reduced."

LTE is undoubtedly set to be the dominant future mobile broadband standard. The industry is backing this throughout all levels of the technology chain and significant momentum is building. However, in recent times, a number of operators initially supporting LTE have since announced HSPA+ strategies as an interim measure.

Adopting HSPA+ as the next step enables operators to meet customer demands quickly and cost-effectively, using existing infrastructure and spectrum. And, when the time is right – when expanding HSPA+ capacity is less economical or operationally more challenging than upgrading to LTE – HSPA+ offers a natural evolution path to LTE.

Why HSPA+?

• HSPA+ deployment allows for available spectrum to be cost-effectively re-farmed, saving as much as 35% on CAPEX
• HSPA+ extends the capabilities of HSPA, increasing bandwidth to alleviate existing network capacity issues and enhance network performance
• HSPA+ is a reality today, with a mature ecosystem of devices and network infrastructure supported by proven network performance enhancing tools

And why is HSPA+ cheaper than LTE?

• HSPA+ allows for re-use of existing HSPA infrastructure and antenna systems
• HSPA+ offers similar savings in Core network infrastructure as LTE by employing 3GPP tunnelling, which removes the need for expensive SGSN and RNC expansions
• HSPA+ can deliver speed enhancements with allocation of 5MHz bandwidth; LTE channels must be allocated 10-20MHz

About AIRCOM International

AIRCOM is an independent provider of network management tools and services. We specialize in the end-to-end planning, optimization and ongoing development of IP and cellular networks. The market leader in the provision and deployment of network engineering tools, AIRCOM products are in use across 135+ countries by over half the world’s mobile operators.

Every day, the 20 top global operators depend upon AIRCOM’s tools and consultants to improve network coverage and quality for more than 1.1 billion subscribers worldwide. Established for 15　years, we have built our reputation on creating and releasing additional value from within cellular networks.

With offices in 14 countries, we provide local and regional viewpoints and resource, as well as ensuring that our operator customers benefit from our global knowledge. By looking ahead of the market and sharing intelligence, we develop the skills and tools that network operators need to remain competitive, whatever the economic climate.

With over four million hours working on 3G networks alone, our expertise translates into direct and measurable cost savings for mobile operators. From initial consultancy through project implementation, using our staff, training yours, or sourcing expertise for you to take in-house, we are dedicated to maximizing the performance of your network, and therefore your business.