World’s first HSPA+ phone to be made by HTC, run Android, launch on T-Mobile USA in September

HSPA+ is a technology meant to maximize the lifespan of 3G. Don’t get me wrong, LTE and WiMAX is all well and good, and we’ve seen what LTE can deliver in countries like Sweden and Norway, surpassing 20 megabits per second, but do you know what the upper limit of HSPA+ is?
How does 42 megabits per second sound? That’s using established standards. With hacks it can even even break 100 megabits per second, but the only place you’ll see such speeds are in a lab.
So far there haven’t been any HSPA+ phones launched. It’s a chicken and egg problem. No HSPA+ networks, no need to make HSPA+ modems. Thanks to consumer demand for mobile broadband however, there’s plenty of HSPA+ in Europe and Asia, and thanks to T-Mobile USA there’s even some on the other side of the pond too. The iPhone 4, the latest from Apple, can only hit 7.2 megabits per second, and while you may not ever see that on AT&T’s network, there will be other countries with more evolved wireless infrastructure getting close to 4 or even 5 megabits per second.

According to a T-Mobile spokesman, we aren’t sure if they’re from T-Mobile EU or USA, but whatever, said spokesman said that in September there will be an HSPA+ HTC smartphone running Android launching on T-Mobile USA. Considering T-Mobile’s American network is rated at 21 megabits per second, you’re looking at possible speeds of 10 megabits or more, in the palm of your hand.
No, it isn’t WiMAX, which has the nerve to call itself 4G, and no, it isn’t LTE, which for some strange reason Verzion can’t reach double digit megabit speeds with, T-Mobile uses plain old 3G technology, but they use the latest advancements that technology has to offer.
Think of your DSL modem. I remember growing up as a kid my mother would give me lunch money everyday, and me being the geek I am, I saved it up. What did I finally purchase with the almost $150 that failed to stunt my growth seeing as how I’m almost 2 meters tall? A U.S. Robotics 33.6 kilobit per second modem. At the time, that was the best you could get over the copper wire strung to your house. Then technology got better. The latest and greatest I know about DSL technology is called ADSL2+ and it pushes 24 megabits per second.
Same copper wires strung to your house.
See where I’m getting at with HSPA+? It’s 3G, but damn good 3G, and T-Mobile USA is going to get the world’s first HSPA+ mobile phone to take advantage of the best 3G has to offer.
[Via: Light Reading]

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