3.5G - a new leap in mobile telephony

By Fiona Galea Debono

Vodafone Malta Ltd yesterday launched one of the latest technologies in mobile telephony - High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, or 3.5G, which offers users the worldwide web at their fingertips. The introduction of 3.5G, which is currently available in the Paceville and St Julians area and Malta International Airport, has put Malta on a par with Western Europe and ahead of Eastern European countries, said Vodafone Malta CEO Hatem Dowidar. He said 3.5G is five times faster than 3G and 40 times faster than 2G, which means consumers can benefit from faster communication and improved products. HSDPA delivers a faster mobile broadband experience to Vodafone customers, with mobile transfer of data from the internet and intranet at high speeds and greater capacity (three times that of current 3G levels), meaning that more people in the same location at the same time can benefit from a superior experience, Mr Dowidar explained. In addition, HSDPA offers improved access to web-based content, so customers can work faster and download larger documents, such as PowerPoint presentations and e-mail attachments. "The HSDPA-driven wireless performance should significantly improve the mobile working experience for Vodafone business customers, resulting in notable productivity gains," he said. In short, it means mobile phones are being turned into multimedia computers. The move comes hot on the heels of the launch of 3G, which enables consumers, and businessmen in particular, to transfer both voice and non-voice data via mobile phones through their greater capacity and power. Take-up of 3G, since it was introduced in summer, covers about three per cent of Vodafone's customer base, but that percentage is expected to rise over Christmas, Mr Dowidar envisaged. A couple of hundred local 3G users were already making use of video calling and other services, which are expected to increase as more people switch to 3G. Speaking at the launch, Competitiveness and Communications Minister Censu Galea highlighted how far Malta had come since the telecommunications section was liberalised - to the benefit of consumers. "We now have media companies involved in communications, telecommunications companies going into digital broadcasting and mobile operators offering an array of services that go beyond what has been traditionally classified as telephony." Having said that, with the rapid development of ICT, Malta still had a long way to go, Mr Galea said. "Our task as regulators is to facilitate the investment in software, hardware and human resources required to remain at the cutting edge of such developments," he said. The first 3.5G mobile phone, the Motorola V1100, is available from Vodafone retail outlets, while the HSDPA Mobile Connect Card V740 is already available for sale from Vodafone.