The folks over at Computerworld just ran the current 3G providers in America through their paces, only to discover that AT&T came out on top in almost every category. Well, it appears the monolithic telco plans to keep its edge (er...) on the competition -- by upping its HSPA service to a whopping 20Mbps come 2009. Our main man Ralph de la Vega said that the process wouldn't require a major overhaul to the provider's infrastructure, and that they're already working on punching up the current 3.6Mbps speeds to 7.2Mbps "in the labs." Apparently, this won't stall plans for forthcoming 4G / 700MHz / LTE service from the company -- it'll just be icing on the cake.

Read - Which 3G network is the best?
Read - AT&T plans 20-megabit 3G by 2009

Make no mistake, LTE is quite likely the buzzword at CTIA 2008. That being the case, Nokia Siemens Networks is making sure it's part of the in-crowd by introducing a "LTE solution for radio and core networks [that] will enable operators to deploy WCDMA / HSPA and LTE in all major frequency bands, including the 700MHz and 1.7 / 2.1GHz bands that are of particular importance in North America." Apparently the outfit is assuming that winners of the recent spectrum auction will be champing at the bit to deploy new networks / services, and while we can only hope it's correct, the equipment to make it happen is seemingly ready to roll.

[Via PhoneScoop]

Apparently not content to let Nokia Siemens have the upgraded mobile broadband spotlight to itself today, Ericsson has now announced that it's set to demonstrate what it's touting as the "world-first end-to-end HSPA Evolution technology" at CTIA next week. That, the company says, should allow for speeds up to an impressive 42 Mbps, a feat made apparently possible by a combination of higher order modulation technology (64QAM) and 2x2 Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology. As for the actual demonstration, Ericsson is only going so far as to say that it'll be conducted with an unspecified "handheld form-factor device" that's based on the Ericsson Mobile Platforms access technology. Other details are unsurprisingly pretty light at the moment, but we're betting Ericsson will have plenty more to say about it when they actually light things up at CTIA.

Why can't we just have and enjoy the latest, greatest pre-4G technology for a few frickin' minutes without having our collective attentions immediately redirected to the next latest, greatest thing? Qualcomm has gone and spoiled all the fun by announcing that it'll be setting up HSPA+ trials with Australia's Telstra, Italy's Telecom Italia, Hutchison 3 in the UK, and Telefonica this year to deliver downlink speeds up to 28Mbps as an evolutionary upgrade to the networks' already-deployed HSPA systems. If all goes well, Qualcomm expects that the technology could be commercialized as early as 2009, potentially putting it head-to-head with the very first volleys in the race to true 4G via LTE. 28Mbps, 173Mbps... we think we know which one we'd rather have in our backyard.

[Via MobileBurn]

If you're sick of hearing about end products and want to get down and dirty with the innards of handsets of tomorrow, look no further than Qualcomm. The firm is busting out a smorgasbord of new chips at Mobile World Congress today, so we'll get right to it. Up first is the QST1000, QST1100 and QST1105 chipsets, which include the following:

• An integrated ARM11 applications processor running at 528 MHz with support for third-party operating systems (Windows Mobile, Win CE and Linux)
  
• A comprehensive range of popular audio and video codecs
  Rich multimedia features, including camera, video playback at up to VGA resolution, and TV-out
  
• Seventh-generation gpsOne engine with support for Standalone-GPS and Assisted-GPS modes, as well as gpsOneXTRA Assistance technology delivering enhanced Standalone-GPS performance
  
• Support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and FM radio
  
• 65 nanometer process technology for enhanced battery life and bill-of-materials savings
• Ability to interface with Qualcomm's Universal Broadcast Modem (UBM) solution for MediaFLO, DVB-H and ISDB-T mobile broadcast TV support
• Wireless WAN connectivity for voice calls and data capabilities (QST1100)
• Hardware-accelerated 2D/3D graphics core capable of performing up to 2.8 million triangles per second (QST1105)
• All three are sampling now and are expected to begin launching this year

Head on past the break for more.

They're lagging a bit behind the competition in the dog-eat-dog world of high speed data cards, but one of Sony Ericsson's two models has a little trick up its sleeve that should still manage to win over a customer or three. The EC400 and EC400g both support the full HSPA suite -- HSDPA and HSUPA, that is, offering up to 7.2Mbps down and 2.0Mbps up -- on the 850, 1900, and 2100MHz bands, while GPRS and EDGE are supported on 850, 900, 1800, and 1900. Here's where it gets interesting, though: the EC400g adds an integrated GPS receiver, a feature occasionally seen on CDMA cards but pretty unique in the GSM camp. Both should be available in mid 2008.

Kind of makes those New Years resolutions of yours seem a bit silly now, but AT&T has some high hopes for 2008. While it mulls its own 700MHz options and leaves the C block to the likes of Verizon, the company plans to build out its 3G network into 80 more cities, which boosts the number to 350 "leading" markets in the US, a rollout AT&T has been sluggish to compete with Verizon and Sprint on. AT&T also pledges to complete its HSUPA network by the middle of the year for speedier uploads. AT&T's not giving many specifics on its future network plans, just that existing infrastructure improvements pave the way for HSPA+ and LTE in the "years to come." Let's hope those years come fast, these HD downloads we keep hearing about are liable to set a few cell towers on fire by year's end.

We've just gotten out of a meeting with Thomas Eriksson, co-founder and CTO of Neonode, and we've learned some very exciting information about the company's newest, as-yet-unannounced phones. We were shown designs of the mobile-maker's next lineup of devices, including an iPhone-esque model called "Earth" which has been confirmed for production (though Thomas insisted that some features and design would change, of course). The phone will feature a 2.9-inch, true 16:9 ratio infrared touchscreen (an updated version of the Neonode N2's touch surface), HSPA connectivity, and will operate on five separate frequency bands (a first as far as we can tell), allowing 3G use in both Europe and the US. However, the most interesting thing that we were shown was a live prototype of the company's latest OS, which blows the doors off of previous iterations. The new interface is a much more robust platform, featuring a homescreen made up of a number of small widget-like icons, all updating live with things like RSS feeds, phone logs, weather, and mail. The UI is still meant to be operated via one hand, though Thomas confirmed that the device would sport a virtual QWERTY keyboard, and would deliver more PIM / smartphone features than we've seen from them in the past. The design of the interface is still being tweaked, but it looks very contemporary to current and future phone OSs we've been seeing, with lots of nice shading and alpha layers. From the little we peeped, this platform could be a contender if handled correctly -- Thomas told us that Neonode had plans underway to partner with carriers in the US, so stay tuned to this space for more info.

Chalk up another one for the LTE team, as it has yet another big proponent in the ever-raging 4G war. Not even two months after Verizon gave LTE the nod over WiMAX / UMB, the board of the GSM Association has now voted to support Long Term Evolution as the mobile broadband solution to follow HSPA. The GSMA also noted that it would be interfacing with other outfits / organizations that are developing LTE technology and begin work with the NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Networks) initiative. Furthermore, Rob Conway, the entity's CEO, reportedly called on the International Telecommunication Union to "ensure the industry wins the spectrum needed to offer mobile broadband." 'Course, we've already heard that things are shaping up nicely (in testing) for the standard, but winning over the GSMA is likely to incite some serious celebrating in the offices of LTE backers everywhere.

Although we're sure some of you are dead set on using one carrier, Qualcomm is making sure the indecisive (or well-traveled) ones out there are covered, too. The firm's Gobi chip promises to play nice with both EV-DO and HSPA (but not WiMAX) networks, which should mean that a number of laptops will soon boast multi-carrier WWAN support right out of the box. The introduction of the two-faced device gives users the ability to switch operators or choose the one with the best coverage in a given area without having to lug around two laptops or laptop-connect cards. You'll also appreciate the fact that these things are actually immediately available, and according to Qualcomm, they should appear in various lappies in mid-2008.

No, seriously, how many global 3G bands do we need? We're still dealing with chipset and handset manufacturers hemming and hawing over adding 850 and 1900MHz for support in the Americas, for goodness' sake, and that's the least of our problems. T-Mobile's starting to light up little fragments of its 1700MHz spectrum (good luck getting Sony Ericsson to buy into that one, guys) while Europe may start to add UMTS 900 to supplement the 2100MHz networks that are currently deployed over in those parts. Alas, here comes Ericsson trotting out an array of 2.6GHz HSPA wares, suggesting that it gives carriers greater "cost efficiency" by tacking on to existing infrastructure. Norway, the UK, and Sweden have all announced plans for 2.6GHz auctions recently so Ericsson's announcement is indeed a timely one -- but still, talk about 3G band overload!

[Via PhoneMag]

HSDPA and HSUPA are pretty much two peas in a pod -- if HSPA is the "pod," anyway -- so it stands to reason that HSUPA rollouts are going to start picking up steam as carriers look to extend their 3.5G investments. The upgrades look to be coming particularly fast and furious for British folk in the next few months, with Vodafone, T-Mobile, and 3 all having committed to kicking off their HSUPA buildouts by year end. Orange starts its work speeding up the upstream next year, while O2's still nowhere in sight -- but hey, three outta five in 2007 ain't bad.

[Via All About Symbian]

Not to be outdone by the impending reality of nationwide EV-DO Rev. A from both Sprint and Verizon, AT&T's apparently felt enough heat to come clean with its intentions for an HSUPA launch. The technology -- the second half of the equation in GSM's HSPA 3.5G strategy, the first being HSDPA -- works the same magic for uplink speeds that HSDPA did for downlink, giving users uploads in the 1.5Mbps range. For the record, users of AT&T's present HSDPA network get hooked up with plain ol' UMTS uplink speeds in the high 300kbps range, so needless to say, this is an upgrade we can throw our support behind. Look for AT&T to roll out the requisite software upgrades to its equipment over the course of 2007, with the first compatible modems hitting midyear. Hint, hint: ExpressCards, AT&T. Please.