HSDPA technically possible on Universal ?

[ghl10000]

Hello,

as here in Austria the market leader Mobilkom Austria is opening up HSDPA *NOW* I'd be keen to know if the HTC Universal is technically able to use this advanced 3G coding scheme with just an update of the radio firmware!

This question also goes to anyone from HTC, who is surely also reading here.

I think this question can be ultimately answered by yes or no.

Anyway, my thanks in advance.

[Wiz]

HSDPA is a pimped up version of UMTS and is backwards compatible with UMTS. HSDPA supports 1.6Mbit while UMTS supports 384Kbits. Any Universal device that connects to the HSDPA network will connect at 384Kps, the maximum speed that is technically possible for a Universal device.

However, as other companies such as T-Mobile Netherlands have done, they *may* limit their UMTS connection speeds to 64kbps for cheap flat fee subscriptions and 384kbps for full price UMTS subscriptions. What they would do with HSDPA subscritions I do not know.


So, NO the Universal devices will not be able to be upgraded to HSDPA, since this would require a hardware modification, not a software upgrade.

but, YES, the Universal will be able to connect to HSDPA networks, but only at UMTS speeds.

[ghl10000]

Thanks Wiz for your swift (only 10mins after my posting) and concrete reply.

The strategy of T-Mobile NL is interesting. Didn't know about that.

[wamatt]

I'm not sure I agree, I think technically it may be possible that a radio upgrade could support HSDPA (I hope so) as various other vendors have announced software upgrades. (eg Acer on their notebook range)

Afaik UMTS and HSDPA are use the same base technology.

[Wiz]

I'm not sure I agree, I think technically it may be possible that a radio upgrade could support HSDPA (I hope so) as various other vendors have announced software upgrades. (eg Acer on their notebook range)

Afaik UMTS and HSDPA are use the same base technology.

I am afraid you're wrong there. HSDPA support has two components. A hardware component and a software component. While manufacturers may decide to add HSDPA hardware support in their devices from the beginning, they often (may) decide to wait providing the accompanying software support until Telcos have provided their requirements in protocols etc.

Since the Universal devices have no hardware support to accomodate HSDPA, a software upgrade would be impossible (and useless)

I guess it could roughly be compared to the days the faster modems were coming out, and all the older PCs turned out to have too slow serial ports and too small buffers (UART chips) to accomodate the higher transfer speeds. There, the hardware support was not available either, so while you could go and connect V-anything to your PC, all you would get was corrupted dataflows :-)

[wamatt]

Afaik UMTS and HSDPA are use the same base technology.

Since the Universal devices have no hardware support to accomodate HSDPA, a software upgrade would be impossible (and useless)
[/quote]

That is indeed a pity since the Universal successor (with HSDPA) is only planned for 2007 release and HSDPA will be available next week where I stay.

[Wiz]

Well, since HTC are currently struggling even to get UMTS support sorted, HSDPA for the time being will remain out of reach for now .... sorry

[sandrobber]

hspda in the USA will never work USA uses the 1900mhz frequency for HSPDA the universal uses the 2100mhz band

[jah]

Well, since HTC are currently struggling even to get UMTS support sorted, HSDPA for the time being will remain out of reach for now .... sorry

Colonel, SiliconS & Gajet please note.....

Even though I am not using the latest ROM but I am using the radio 1.06.00 ROM the UMTS aspect seems fine (okay not good with weak signals compared to my O2 3G datacard) on my XDA Exec.

[colonel]

the universal does not support hdspa as it has a MTM6250 chipset. Perhaps future universals will be made with the MTM6260 which does. rgds:

http://www.cdmatech.com/docs_details/chip_tool/chip_results.jsp?chip=29&chip=27&chip=26

[PabloPicasso]

AT&T/Cingular are in the process of rolling out their HSDPA network and a handful of cities are using it; NOW is the Universal capable of this....I asked a similar question about the UMTS 1900 MHz being activated so it could be used in the states; Granted I was given some very good replies but I am still curious. Over the past week I have been talking to some other engineers in my field and have found that a great number of things are possible with the Universal, it has the architecture to support this, SUPPOSEDLY ! Now lets look at UMTS as a whole; then HSDPA ! HSDPA is a software upgrade to existing UMTS software, that's all ! SO is it possible that we can have HSDPA on the Universal with an upgrade to the radio stack, I think YES !...and the bands should also be able to be activate, current UMTS 2100 MHz to 1900 MHz so it becomes dual band...the other is the GSM 850 band ! That apparently can be activated !...HOW is the big questions....Most of the HTC is limited by software; not hardware...its existing hardware has been built with scalability in mind...I just hope that some one can figure out the radio stack updates to facilitate this functionality !

[colonel]

PabloPicasso - no and no
universal is limited to 2100mhz and non-HSPCA. look at my link above

[ice_coffee]

PabloPicasso - no and no
universal is limited to 2100mhz and non-HSPCA. look at my link above

according to your above link, the uni does not support SDIO !!! but in reality it does

[lirathal]

I asked a similar question about the UMTS 1900 MHz being activated so it could be used in the states;

I just wanted to make a comment on this point. From what I know, which in all rights is limited, UTMS standard is characterised by two channels. An upstream and a downstream. In order to meet UTMS specifications the following would have to be met:

"The specific frequency bands originally defined by the UMTS standard are 1885-2025 MHz for uplink and 2110-2200 MHz for downlink."

This means that when North American countries move to this standard, wouldn't the Universal work 'as-is'?

I obtained this information from wikipedia by the by.

Lirathal