Vodafone Italy makes first data call with HSDPA

Vodafone Italy has made the first data connection with HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), an upgrade to the current 3G UMTS cellular standard.

The company says a speed of 1.5 Mbps (megabits per second) was reached, while current UMTS (also known as WCDMA) has a maximumspeed of 384kbps (kilobits per second). These higher speeds will enable operators to provide new services to its customers for mobile phones and fastest internet connections.

"The positive outcome of the first HSDPA data call demonstrates the advanced state of our UMTS technology and confirms Vodafone's leadership and commitment to developing cutting-edge standards," says Didier Lebrat, Chief Technology Officer at Vodafone Italy.

UMTS handsets in Italy have reached 937,000 at the end of June 2005. Vodafone Italy has the highest number of 3G devices registered on its network at over 0.7 million on a proportionate basis.