[Ben]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/networking/news/2008/07/01/T-Mobile-Unloads-HSUPA-On-The-UK/p1

Vodafone may have already hit us with HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access) but T-Mobile is today showing two can play that game...

In a very welcome announcement the monster telco has revealed from 1 July users will begin to experience the benefits of HSUPA across its network with upload speeds boosted up to 1.4Mbps - almost 5x that provided by its existing infrastructure.

The network is also in the process of upgrading its 3G network to provide data rates of a 7.2Mbps theoretical maximum. As you might expect, this roll out is initially focused inside the M25 - read: Greater London, but will spread to other major cities during the second half of the year. Still, if you are initially outside these areas (a coverage checker can be found on the T-Mobile website) more than 1,000 WiFi HotSpots are also now being bundled with its mobile broadband packages.

Following on from the recent price cuts by 3 and by Vodafone, T-Mobile is also clearly going for the jugular. Ultimately then, it's getting mighty competitive out there and for consumers this is very good news indeed...
I'm glad the networks are racing to raise speeds at the moment. It's a good acknowledgement that the current speeds are not good enough. Once all the networks have 7.2/1.4 rolled out nationwide then that'll give the mobile networks a massive play in the ISP business.

[Hands0n]

Once all the networks have 7.2/1.4 rolled out nationwide then that'll give the mobile networks a massive play in the ISP business.

I would be happy with all of that save for a couple of things. You cannot do [on mobile data] quite all that you can on ADSL or Cable. Some protocols are forbidden or blocked, and they do fiddle around with the images downloaded.

But that is not to take away from the good news generally :)

[gorilla]

While I would agree, I really believe that ADSL is only a stop gap technology. It's too slow and anyone not living close to an exchange is always going to be at disadvantage. In the UK, we have significant interent users who will never have superfast ADSL, so some smart cookie is going to offer it wirelessly and take huge chunks of the market. Let's face it, of vodafone, t-mobile or whoever offer cheap (relative to current ISPs) wireless broadband access, who needs that piece of copper tied to your house?
I'd give it 2-3 years before a significant proportion of broadband customers access the web via a mobile operator.

[Hands0n]

*nods in agreement*

[Ben]

...maybe then BT will release that it should have invested in that fibre to the home network ;)

[getti]

I connected a stick modem to my Advent 4211 laptop today and when i connected at the bottom instead of saying 'HSDPA T-Mobile' it said 'HSPA T-Mobile' making me think its both HSDPA and HSUPA.

The service was just a bit slower than my Virgin connection. I never could use just a mobile connection before due to having either a PS3 or Xbox 360 but now i no longer have 1 just sticking to a MBB solution is an idea im toying with, especially £7.50 a month for 3GB (staff discount)

[3g-g]

True story and waaaaayyyy off topic, but I'll tell it nonetheless. :)

My mother canceled her Demon home ADSL broadband the other day, she was getting about 6.2Meg connection at the house (which is a BT IP stream re-sale), main reason she wanted to move was the cost. Why pay them when Sky and Orange can give you it for free*?

So, called Sky... yes madam, you can have Sky broadband, the maximum speed you'll see is 1.5Mbit, a £25 connection charge and the same a month as she'd been paying, and again, a BT IP stream. Just what's the point in the MAC code system if you're having to pay to move from one provider to another? Orange, whom she has a mobile contract with stated she lived too far away from the exchange to get broadband at all and offered her a USB dongle at £25 a month!!! So, suddenly capped usage, 384k (at the very best) and stuck for 18 months, I physically spat my tea across the room when she told me! Needless to say she turned them down. It's actually looking like O2 are going to come up trumps as they're one of the only few to have unbundled her exchange!

*Free, as in, be paying for Sky TV or have an Orange mobile account.

[Hands0n]

Yup, thats the problem for Sky and the other LLU operators - unless they've got their own kit in the local exchange they are tied to having to use BTW to deliver a service via IPStream and of course that attracts a charge. There is no option other than for the CP to unbundle the local exchange.

O2 (formerly BE iirc) are aggresively unbundling exchanges left, right and centre. They are clearly going for a big push against the competition. The other CPs such as Sky and Talk Talk are going to have a bit of a struggle to retain customers in the non-LLU exchanges!