The internet has transformed the way we access information, and broadband connections have made the experience even richer. The typical internet user already generates 1-3Gb of data traffic per month, but load calculations for an HSPA network show it is possible to deliver 10 times this amount per user every month. Enhancing a WCDMA network with HSPA makes it easier for consumers to use mobile broadband, helps industry grow, advances research, and encourages sustainability.

With more than 100 million people around the world already subscribing to WCDMA services, HSPA is the obvious and quickest route for bringing mobile broadband to the mass market. No other high-speed radio access technology has a comparable installed base. However, in order to achieve the full benefits of mobile broadband for society, individuals and enterprises, there needs to be coverage everywhere - not just in city centers, airports or hotels. Most operators will, therefore, be expected either to roll out WCDMA/HSPA nationwide or use GSM as a fallback solution.

Lena Beming, director of Ericsson's strategic marketing, says: "For end users to pick up the service, the prices of devices and of the service are equally crucial. Telecom is a big-volume business; the technology with the largest number of users attracts the biggest investments, which results in better and cheaper devices and network equipment."

HSPA is gaining momentum, with more than 110 networks in commercial operation in almost 60 countries, and more than 250 different user devices ranging from laptops, modem cards and USB modems to phones, cameras and media players. Analysts estimate that HSPA will connect 70 percent of mobile broadband subscribers by 2010, while CDMA 2000 EV-DO will represent 20 percent and other technologies such as Mobile WiMAX will have less than 5 percent each.

Beming says WCDMA operators all over the world are moving toward more "all-you-can-eat" price schemes, which are necessary to increase penetration. Operators are using HSPA to provide broadband to homes too - and pricing it to be competitive with DSL offerings. Operator 3 in Sweden, for example, offers unlimited usage with speeds up to 3.6Mbps for about EUR 22 per month. This has gained a lot of interest on the market.

With increasingly more devices coming with built-in HSPA connectivity, it will soon be easy to connect your laptop, notebook or phone to the internet, wherever you are in the world.

HSPA is the undisputed leader in mobile broadband services, providing:

• an ecosystem of unrivalled breadth and depth, covering both traditional mobile terminals and personal consumer devices;
• unmatched economies of scale that benefit all players in the ecosystem, built on the 3GPP family of standards currently serving more than 2 billion subscribers;
• ever-improving performance with commercially proven transmission bit rates up to 14Mbps today and up to 42Mbps in the near future;
• highly economical urban and rural coverage, with up to 200km cell range and measured speeds in excess of 2Mbps at the cell border; and
• a clearly defined and easily adopted evolution path.