StarHub triples HSPA mobile broadband network uplink capacity 
ConvergenceAsia staff
20/10/2008

StarHub has announced the upgrade of its HSPA network nationwide to 5.76Mbps on the uplink, tripling its current mobile broadband upload capacity of 1.9Mbps. This means that StarHub's HSPA mobile broadband network will be able to deliver higher uplink speeds for customers - using compatible devices - who wish to upload photos to online community sites such as Facebook and Flicker, and large documents wirelessly.

When completed in end December 2008, the upgrade will make StarHub the first operator in Asia to have a nationwide High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) network at 5.76Mbps.

With this upgrade, StarHub continues to boast the highest mobile broadband network capacity in Singapore, at 14.4Mbps (downlink) and 5.76Mbps (uplink).

Anil Nihalani, Head of StarHub's Mobile and Communications, said the upgrade is timely as "we find more customers uploading user-created content over the mobile broadband network to many social networking websites".

Businesses are also more comfortable using mobile broadband as a way to access and upload documents to their office intranet in order to stay productive while on the move. "We have continued to see a surge in mobile data usage over the past year and foresee this continuing throughout 2009. The upgrade will ensure that our customers will soon have an even better experience while using our HSPA mobile broadband network."

StarHub was the first operator in Singapore to launch a full two-way HSPA service in August 2007, encompassing both HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) and HSUPA. The company was also the first operator in Asia to launch HSUPA services nationwide.

By 2Q 2009, StarHub will complete its upgrade of the HSPA network to HSPA Plus (HSPA+) which will boost mobile broadband downlink speeds 1.5 times higher to 21Mbps. In addition, StarHub plans to expand its mobile base station capacity to at least 3,500 base stations in support of its 1.8 million mobile customers.

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