Qualcomm Touts Speed Of Next-Gen HSUPA Chipsets

Qualcomm Thursday announced its next-generation of mobile device chipsets that will deliver download speeds that theoretically could reach 7.2 Mbps and upload speeds as high as 5.76 Mbps.

In the alphabet soup of cellular data specifications, Qualcomm's newly-announced chipsets take advantage of High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), which is a follow-on cellular data specification to High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA). Many cellular operators, including Cingular in the U.S., are already deploying HSDPA networks. It is widely expected that T-Mobile USA will start deploying the technology this year or early next.

These technologies work on GSM-based networks. Other U.S. carriers, particularly Verizon Wireless and Sprint, use CDMA technology, which Qualcomm also supports.

Qualcomm said that HSUPA's high upload speeds and low latency will enable practical applications such as voice-over-IP and real-time media sharing. Specifically, the company said its MSM7200 chipsets will support multimedia broadcast multicast service, which distributes audio and video content over cellular networks.

"The MSM7200 is broadening the scope of what a mobile handset can do, bringing a new generation of services to the wireless user that converge multiple features of consumer electronics into a single compelling device," Alex Katouzian, a Qualcomm senior director of product management, said in a statement.

Qualcomm did not say when the chipsets would be available. Besides having the chipsets built into mobile devices, cellular operators must also deploy HSUPA in their infrastructure equipment such as base stations. However, in its statement, Qualcomm referred to the "imminent commercialization" of HSUPA.