HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) has introduced significant improvements in data throughput for mobile broadband services, supporting theoretical downlink speeds of 14.4 Mbps per user. The standard’s next generation, HSPA+, offers further enhancements to throughput and link range, delivering up to 42 Mbps downstream and 22 Mbps upstream through the use of MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) techniques and higher order modulation (HOM). Evolved HSPA’s advanced capabilities also include “always-on” connectivity, lower latency and shorter call set-up time.
HSPA Evolution, defined in 3GPP Releases 7 and 8, is compatible with both legacy and all-IP architecture to accommodate today’s mix of mobile network technologies, which range from traditional E1/T1 access lines and ATM or SDH/SONET networks to DSL and newly deployed packet-based RANs (radio access networks). While operators and transport providers are selecting the migration path to 4G all-IP RANs that is most suitable for their needs, they all require high-quality solutions to backhaul Evolved HSPA traffic over any available infrastructure with consistent performance.
RAD’s ACE-3xxx multiservice cell-site and aggregation site gateways enable mobile operators to speedily deploy mobile broadband services while keeping HSDPA+ operating costs to a minimum. Leveraging any available access infrastructure, the ACE-3xxx multiservice gateways provide several alternatives to deliver Evolved HSPA traffic, while maintaining consistent quality of experience. Operators opting for a gradual migration to an IP-RAN can use the hybrid approach, whereby real-time R.99 traffic is transported over ATM or SDH/SONET networks and the MIMO HSDPA traffic is offloaded to economical xDSL links and a packet network. Alternatively, these feature-rich devices can converge BTS, Node B and IP Node B traffic over a unified, packet switched backhaul end-to-end.
