Vodafone is pumping up its HSDPA network this autumn to up to 14 times faster, to a possible 7.2Mb/sec, and introducing HSUPA, increasing upload speeds to a possible 1.44Mb/sec.

 

Vodafone will begin the upgrade in central London to combat the growing number of WiFi hotspots, and major airports. Although capable of 7.2Mb/sec, the new infrastructure will typically offer between 1.7-5.5Mb/sec.

Airports scheduled to receive the new kit are Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, London City, Southampton, Bristol, Birmingham, East Midlands, Liverpool, Manchester, Belfast City, Belfast International, Cardiff and Norwich.

The Vodafone service will have a fair usage cap of 3GB a month. However, unlike other networks, Vodafone would not charge for extra traffic beyond that limit, and will only take action against habitual abusers.

Kyle Whitehill, enterprise business unit director for Vodafone UK said: "More than ever, the speed of our Mobile Broadband service is helping people make work, work around them, wherever they are. These devices are fast but they are also future-proofed – they are ready for our new upgraded network and they are ready for the latest PCs or laptops."

The devices needed to achieve the new speeds will include a new plug-and-play USB Modem, which is the first ‘tri-band 3G’ device to be offered in the UK, and two new ExpressCards, one that is plug and play and another that is targeted at corporate customers. Both formats are also backward compatible using an adaptor which customers can place over the card so it fits the more traditional PC card slots.