Unicom to Commercialize Dual-Carrier HSPA+ next month

According to sources on 29 June, according to sources, China Unicom will officially open a dual-carrier HSPA+ commercial network (DC-HSPA+) in July this year, with a peak downlink speed of 42 Mbps. Guangzhou and Shenzhen will become the first commercial cities.

HSPA+ is an enhanced version of HSPA with a lower upgrade cost and greatly improves system throughput and user experience. HSPA+ uses 64QAM, Layer 2 enhanced transmission, and other technologies to implement a higher modulation method and achieve a downlink rate of 21 Mbps on a single carrier. The dual-carrier HSPA+ is a dual-carrier HSPA that achieves a downlink rate of 42 Mbps and an uplink peak value of up to 23 Mbps.

On May 17, 2011, China Unicom launched HSPA+ network services in 56 major cities across the country, and 100,000 HSPA+ data cards with a downlink speed of up to 21.6 Mbps were available for purchase. During the same period, China Unicom conducted dual-carrier HSPA+ field tests in Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, and Tianjin. The theoretical download rate was 42Mbps, which is three times that of China Unicom's 3G network. According to reports, this test was carried out by Ericsson, Huawei, ZTE, Nokia Siemens, and Shanghai Bell, and they were responsible for five cities. They carried out six-year comprehensive evaluations of key performance indicators such as pull distance performance, network throughput, and multi-user throughput rate. At present, major manufacturers have basically completed the test.

According to Fu Qiang, the deputy general manager of Guangdong Unicom, the HSPA+ upgrade of Guangdong Unicom's 21 cities across the province will be completed this year. In July 2012, Guangdong Unicom took the lead in opening HSPA+64QAM dual carriers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, with a speed of up to 42Mbps, making it the fastest 3G commercial network in China. It is reported that in 2013 Guangdong Unicom will mention the speed of the core urban area of ​​the province to 42Mbps, and the core area of ​​the Pearl River Delta will be upgraded to 84Mbps.

The introduction of dual-carrier HSPA+ commercial networks will further enhance China Unicom's broadband service capabilities and improve user experience. It will also provide technical verification and experience for China Unicom's next phase of network evolution.

With the rapid growth of mobile broadband, operators around the world have accelerated the deployment of HSPA/HSPA+ networks. According to data released by the GSA, as of February this year, a total of 62 operators worldwide have launched dual-carrier HSPA+ commercial networks, and another 26 operators are or are planning to deploy. In terms of terminals, the number of commercially available dual-carrier HSPA+ terminals has reached 93, including four smartphones.