3 has expanded its WCDMA/HSPA services in Ireland in response to the growing demand for high-speed broadband connectivity in that nation.

 

Following this, the subscribers of Hutchison 3G (News - Alert) Ireland, the operator of 3 Ireland network will now receive high-speed mobile broadband connections.

 

According to reports, Nokia Siemens Networks (News - Alert) is upgrading and extending 3's network and is also providing the flat network architecture solution, known as "Internet High-Speed Packet Access" (I-HSPA), a technology optimized for carrying huge volumes of data traffic, with its all-Internet Protocol (IP) backhaul. 

 

More users now prefer high-speed mobile connectivity, as it has the advantage of keeping them on the move. Hutchison subscribers will have access to high-speed and high-capacity wireless broadband, with enhanced voice, data and multimedia services, enabled by the High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) functionality.

 

Robert Finnegan, chief executive of 3 said, "This strategic agreement with Nokia Siemens Networks reinforces our position as the leading mobile broadband network and 3's commitment to deploying the very best technologies available. 3 has constantly challenged the established broadband providers to up their game and we're already seeing huge changes in the market place - mobile broadband connections are growing far faster than fixed line and we believe Ireland will be at the forefront of mobile replacing fixed line altogether, much like the trend we're seeing in the voice market. Not only is the mode of access changing but prices have dropped dramatically across the board since 3 introduced its 19.99 per month for 10 Mb last May. The broadband market is changing at a rapid pace and 3 is leading the charge to bridge Ireland's digital divide."

 

Nokia Siemens Network has agreed on a three-year contract to help 3 replace the legacy radio network with its energy-efficient 3G connectivity solution. The advanced solution, featuring the Flexi Base Stations, is said to provide significant power savings of up to 70 percent. Nokia Siemens Networks is also providing 3 with the NetAct network management and service management solution for increasing network performance.

 

3 is hoping to bank on I-HSPA (or Evolved HSPA) to simplify this setup. I-HSPA is a cost effective flat network architecture concept, which provides HSPA data rates up to 42 Mbit/s on the downlink and 22 Mbit/s on the uplink with MIMO technologies and higher order modulation. It also introduces optional all-IP architecture for the network where base stations are directly connected to the internet. The technology also delivers significant battery life improvements and dramatically quicker wake-from-idle time - delivering a true always-on connection.

 

Even as Ireland is going ahead in its plan, some reviewers of 3 Ireland’s Mobile broadband offering have complained about the inconsistency in broadband speeds while browsing because 3 Ireland has guaranteed speeds of up to 3.6Mbps in smooth surfing.