Smart, Nokia pioneer Philippines HSPDA calls

Philippines wireless service provider Smart Communications and Nokia have completed the first High Speed Data Packet Access (HSPDA) call in the country...

Philippines wireless service provider Smart Communications and Nokia have completed the first High Speed Data Packet Access (HSPDA) call in the country.

The call was made from within Smart's live network just a month after launching its 3G service. With the Nokia HSDPA solution, Smart will be able to offer its customers data services at speeds of up to four times faster than current 3G speeds. Nokia is supplying this HSDPA solution to Smart as part of the WCDMA 3G network contract announced in January 2006.

Nokia's HSDPA is described as a simple software upgrade to Nokia WCDMA networks, thus enabling cost-effective and fast rollout. In the first phase Nokia HSDPA will offer the data services four times faster than the current 3G, and consequently with enhanced quality service experience. Nokia has over 20 HSPDA contracts globally, eight of which have been publicly announced.  

* Smart had 20.4 million subscribers on its Philippines GSM network as of end-December 2005. Three quarters are under the Smart brand names, with the other five million serviced through its subsidiary Filipino Telephone Corp, under the GSM brand Talk 'N Text. Smart is wholly owned by The Philippines' dominant telecommunications carrier, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. Nokia has been the sole network supplier to Smart since 1998.  

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