Qtel upgrading to 21Mbps by August, 42Mbps by year-end

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) will upgrade its peak HSPA mobile broadband data download speeds in stages to a theoretical maximum of 42Mbps by the end of this year, the company has announced. Having reached a peak of 14.4Mbps through an upgrade of its HSDPA network, the next stage of its evolution – based on HSPA+ technology – will yield speeds of up to 21Mbps by August, the operator said. It is launching a new 21Mbps-capable USB wireless modem to support the upgrade. Qtel is also preparing to begin a trial of 42Mbps HSPA+ services, with the aim of launching commercially later in the year. Over 50,000 people in Qatar currently subscribe to Qtel’s mobile broadband internet services, and these users will be able to access the new speeds on HSPA+-capable devices at no extra cost.