T-Mobile has announced it has successfully completed what is believed to be the first live demonstration of High Speed Downlink Data Packet Access (HSDPA) calls on its networks in the UK, as well as in Germany and the Netherlands.  The calls were made using Nokia 3G network technology and are the result of the strong collaboration between the two companies to deliver HSDPA.  The commercial launch of HSDPA is scheduled for next year, with further testing continuing prior to then.

HSDPA is a software upgrade to 3G that delivers over four times faster download speeds than is currently possible— up to a theoretical maximum of 1.8 Mbps in the first phase, compared to today’s theoretical maximum of 384 kbps on standard 3G networks.

The benefits are both the ability to deliver high speed broadband services and the ability to meet the needs of a higher number of customers at lower cost.  Thso last two words, in particular, are crucial – it doesn’t matter how fast your sexy new 3G technology is, as current 3G has shown, if you price it too high, no-one will use its services. So how low cost this technology proves to be will be the defining factor in its success – I’m hopeful, because 1.8Mbps on a mobile connection can open some seriously cool services, but only if the price is cheap enough for users to use the connection 24-7.