Huawei, Vodafone Spain, deploy commercial DB-HSPA technology

Vodafone Spain completed the first commercial implementation of dual band high speed downlink packet access (DB-HSPA) technology with Huawei, a move that the vendor said will enable Vodafone to double the volume of its UMTS throughput compared to single carrier on UMTS in the 900MHz band.

UMTS is the predominant technology used to carry 3G communications throughout Europe. Vodafone Spain’s network has until now been single carrier on UMTS 900MHz, but because of the coverage advantages of low frequency bands such as 900MHz, it can carry a larger number of subscribers than UMTS on 2100MHz frequency, which is another important 3G spectrum band in Europe.

Therefore, the implementation by Vodafone Spain of DB-HSPA theoretically means that the operator’s UMTS 900MHz network can now an improved customer experience.

Huawei noted that DB-HSPA chipsets have been incorporated into commercial devices since the back half of 2015, meaning there are already good numbers of terminals available that are capable of receiving and monitoring two bands simultaneously.

The vendor stated that its UX2 interface solution will ensure the application of DB-HSDPA not only at intra-NodeB level, but also among different NodeBs.

Peng Honghua, president of Huawei's UMTS product line, said the company will “endeavour to assure the provision of innovative solutions, and accelerate the pace and scale of DB-HSDPA's commercial application to benefit more subscribers”.

The collaboration on 3G technology with Vodafone Spain builds on a recent trial Huawei announced with the UK division of the global operator.

Vodafone UK and Huawei announced in July that they are trialling a so-called 4.5G technology, in a move that the operator's CTO Jorge Fernandes said will ensure the company is ready to launch 5G services in the next four to five years.

The trial of LTE TDD+ technology is being conducted in the UK city of Manchester, and will result in a significant increase in the capacity and efficiency of Vodafone UK's existing 4G network, Huawei explained in a statement announcing the collaboration.

Fernandes said the trial will help to ensure that Vodafone UK's LTE network is "future-proofed for the expected arrival of 5G in four to five years' time," but noted that the TDD+ technology will also deliver more short-term benefits in the form of "continually improving our 4G performance for customers".

For more:
- see this Huawei press release

Related articles:

Huawei, Vodafone UK conduct 4.5G trial
Huawei operating margin declines despite 40% annual hike in H1 revenue
Nokia claims Russian first after aggregating FDD-TDD for MTS