By Reuben Lee
31/07/2007
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62030108,00.htm

	Samsung's i600 comes with HSDPA support. (click here for more HSDPA handhelds)

Service provider StarHub today announced that it will be launching the fastest two-way HSPA (High-speed Packet Access) service for its mobile users in Singapore from August 4, 2007. The company also claims that it is the first operator in Southeast Asia to launch High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

What's new?
"With the introduction of our two-way high-speed service, we will now be able to deliver better user experience for consumers and businesses," said Mr Anil Nihalani, vice president of StarHub's Mobile Services. He believes the new service will differentiate itself from the competition by offering both fast uploading and downloading speeds.

Do you know? HSPA is a mobile protocol that is widely recognized as an enhancement to the current UMTS (3G) platform. Often known as 3.5G, HSPA currently comes in two standards: High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA). HSDPA supports downlink speeds of up to 14.4Mbps while HSUPA supports uplink speeds of up to 5.76Mbps.

Rival operators SingTel and M1 are currently offering HSPA services to their mobile subscribers in the Republic. However, both carriers support only the HSDPA standard which has a maximum theoretical download speed of 3.6Mbps. M1 was the first to commercially introduce HSDPA in Singapore in December 2006, followed by SingTel in May earlier this year.

According to StarHub, the implementation of its HSPA network, which includes both HSDPA and HSUPA technologies, will allow subscribers to enjoy downlink speeds of up to 7.2Mbps and maximum uplink speeds of 1.9Mbps.

	The slim LG Shine also comes with onboard HSDPA support. (click here for full review)

To complement the new HSPA service, StarHub has also announced that it will be rolling out new services and mobile content for its subscribers. This will include the introduction of mobile TV as well as football action in the form of Barclay's Premier League on its 3G and 3.5G mobile platform.

According to market intelligence company IDC, Korea has the largest market of HSDPA mobile phones in the region. Estimates report 400,000 HSDPA phones shipped to the APEJ region in the first quarter of 2007, with over half of that going to Korea.

How do I get on the HSPA network?
If you are currently a 3G subscriber with StarHub, you will automatically be "3.5G-ready" by August 4 when the HSPA service is launched. All you need to make use of the HSPA service is a 3.5G handset. Recommended handsets include the Nokia N95, Samsung i600, O2 Xda Atom Life, LG Shine and Motorola Razr V3xx.

	O2's Xda Atom Life is one of the PDA-phones with HSDPA (click here for the full review)

It is, however, useful to note that these handsets only support HSDPA. To take advantage of the faster HSUPA upload speeds, a HSUPA-enabled handset will be needed. Unfortunately, there are currently no HSUPA handsets copmmercially available in the market today. The only HSUPA solution available is the Huawei E270 wireless modem, which can be used with any Windows-based PCs with USB connectivity.

Mobile price plans
In conjunction with the launch of its HSPA service on August 4, StarHub will also be introducing a new pricing structure for its mobile data access plans. Called MaxMobile (to complement the company's MaxOnline cable broadband service), subscribers have a choice between the Lite, Value and Unlimited plans.

Under the Lite plan, data is charged at S$0.01/Kb up to S$88 with no minimum surcharge. Value plan customers pay a monthly S$5 charge (promotional price till December 2007; usual price S$10 a month) for S$20 worth of data usage and S$0.0032/Kb thereafter, with monthly fees capped at S$88. The Unlimited plan offers a flat fee of S$68 a month. StarHub claims that unlike the other operators, there will be no cap on data usage for Unlimited plan subscribers.

In addition, StarHub is offering its post-paid mobile customers free access to its Gee! and i-mode portals. This means there will be no charge for browsing, only fixed costs for purchasing content downloads.