Dual-cell HSPA networks deployed in Canada: why are they cool?

Tellus is deploying a Dual-Cell HSPA (DC-HSPA) network in Canada, and they’re getting a lot of press for it today, but what is it and why should you care?

As its name hints, Dual-Cell HSPA can double the theoretical speed, but only for incoming downloads (our main bandwidth use). That technology relies on the fact that HSPA network sometime use two different radio-frequencies, so there’s a possibility to receive two simultaneous downloads. It’s a little like aggregating the bandwidth of a DSL modem and a Cable modem. Some WIFI routers use a similar trick too. With this, a dual-HSPA connection can theoretically double the fastest bandwidth available today to HSPA users, but we’ll have to see how that translates in the real-world.

The downside is that we probably need two radios to run simultaneously in the phone, so only new handsets will be able to handle this, and they will consume more power. Let’s wait to see how this will look once fully deployed.

Hubert Nguyen
Categories: Cellphones, Top Stories