New 3G technology doubles voice capacity and boosts battery life

Using technology developed by Nokia Siemens Network (NSN), the Finnish operator Elisa has demonstrated it's possible to double the voice capacity of 3G networks, while producing a 50 per cent boost in handset talk time. The improvement was made possible, according to Elisa and NSN, by using circuit-switched voice over packet-based transport channels within HSPA.

NSN said the technology, labelled Circuit Switched Call over HSPA (CSoHSPA), could potentially double the baseline voice capacity of HSPA. Making use of the technique, when supported by the continuous packet connectivity features of 3GPP Release 7, NSN said it was not only more efficient on the network, but used less battery power, providing up to twice the talk time at the handset end. The efficiency of the technique also meant call set-up times could be halved, and overall could make the switch-off of 2G a more viable option at an earlier stage for some mobile operators.

The two firms claim that to enable CSoHSPA in existing 3G networks no changes were necessary to the core network with only a software upgrade needed in the RAN. NSN hopes that, given the technology is part of 3GPP Release 7 or HSPA+, it will be adopted by other vendors, although NSN has been the most enthusiastic so far.

For more on this story:
Cellular News and ReThink Wireless

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