New GSA Survey Confirms 805 HSPA Devices Launched; 100% Increase in 11 Months

September 8, 2008: GSA, the Global mobile Suppliers Association, confirms a large rise in the number of HSPA devices introduced onto the market. GSA’s latest HSPA Devices Survey identifies 805 HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) products have now been launched. The number of HSPA devices has virtually doubled in less than 11 months. The number of suppliers increased from 80 to 129 in the same period, i.e. over 61% growth.

HSPA devices address all market segments. The GSA survey provides the following breakdown:

384 mobile phones and UMPCs
120 PC data cards (PCMCIA cards, ExpressCards, chipsets, embedded modules)
118 notebooks
102 USB modems
73 Wireless routers/gateways
7 Personal Media Players (PMPs)
1 camera

500 devices, i.e. the majority, support 3.6 Mbps (peak) or higher download data speeds, including 228 devices supporting 7.2 Mbps peak or higher.

The number of HSUPA-capable (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) devices has tripled in less than a year. Today 97 devices support HSUPA operation, with the majority delivering up to 2.1 Mbps (peak) on the uplink, while 28 products already support or upgradeable for 5.76 Mbps (peak) speed.

Alan Hadden, President, GSA, said: “The number of HSDPA mobile phones increased by 93% since last October, and the number of notebooks with embedded HSPA-connectivity increased by a similar amount. The benefits from deploying HSPA in the lower frequency bands are also widely appreciated. Over 300 devices operate in the 850 MHz band, and the availability of UMTS 900 devices has significantly improved.”

While the majority of WCDMA-HSPA systems and devices operate in internationally designated 3G/IMT-2000 core band spectrum (2100 MHz), the 850 MHz frequency band as widely used throughout the Americas, in Australia and in Asia is also well supported. There is also significantly increasing availability reported for UMTS 900 devices, already today supporting UMTS 900 service launches in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

HSPA Device breakdown by frequency (excluding notebooks):

637 devices i.e. over 92%, operate in the 2100 MHz band
307 devices i.e. over 44%, operate in the 850 MHz band
224 tri-band 850/1900/2100 MHz devices facilitate global roaming
33 devices operate in the 900 MHz band (UMTS 900)

184 HSPA devices incorporate 802.11/WLAN functionality. Excluding notebooks, this represents over 26% of HSPA devices. 142 HSPA devices also incorporate positioning functionality functionality (GPS, Assisted GPS, etc.). Excluding notebooks, this represents over 20% of HSPA devices. 58 HSPA devices also incorporate mobile TV functionality, representing a number of standards.

Registered GSA website users who are logged in may view/download the detailed HSDPA Devices Survey (September 7th, 2008) at: http://www.gsacom.com/gsm_3g/surveys.php4

Not registered? It only takes a minute at http://www.gsacom.com/php/register_form.php4

Survey Key Findings summary document is available at http://www.gsacom.com/gsm_3g/wcdma_databank.php4

Charts showing HSPA (HSDPA, HSUPA) devices growth, segmentation, operator launches, etc. at www.gsacom.com/news/statistics.php4

UMTS 900 Global Status – Info Paper

This GSA Information Paper provides an overview of the momentum towards introducing UMTS 900, showing benefits of deployment in the 900 MHz band, the regulatory position regarding re-farming of 900 MHz spectrum, technical standards, service launches, network deployment activities and trials worldwide, and the expanding availability of user devices. Available to registered GSA website users who are logged in at: http://www.gsacom.com/gsm_3g/info_papers.php4

About GSA:

GSA represents leading GSM/3G/WCDMA-HSPA/LTE suppliers worldwide, covering close to 100% of mobile market share. The member companies are Aeroflex, AnyDATA Inc, Broadcom, Business Logic Systems, Comsys Communication & Signal Processing, EDO-EVI, Ericsson, Hewlett Packard, LSI Logic Corporation, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, Panasonic, Qualcomm Inc., ST-NXP Wireless, Talking Eye, and Telcordia. GSA delivers authoritative facts, market intelligence, objective analysis and information. Over 52,500 professionals from 196 countries used www.gsacom.com in the past year.