Vodafone: We will be first with 'next' next-gen 3G

With the paint barely dry on its '3G broadband' service, Vodafone is already looking to the next generation of high speed mobile connectivity.

Big Red today announced the launch of its HSDPA network, which will allow customers packing the appropriate data card or mobile to get speeds of up to 1.8Mbps.

The HSDPA network goes live today inside the M25, as well as in and around major cities including Birmingham, Newcastle and Sheffield. Vodafone is planning to extend the HSDPA, or 3.5G, network to cover its entire customer base by summer next year.

The mobile operator will be branding the service as '3G broadband' rather than HSDPA, which it reckons is too unwieldy a name to go down well with customers.

All the UK's major operators have been toying with HSDPA for some time and all have publicly committed to rolling it out this year, although T-Mobile and Vodafone have been vying for the garland for first commercial launch.

But no sooner is HSDPA up and running than the mobile operator has already got its eyes on the next generation of high speed mobile connectivity, known as high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA). The difference between the two? One is aimed at more traditional web users who favour surfing and downloading their email, the other helps with shuffling big attachments around and uploading large files back to the office.

A Vodafone spokesman confirmed to silicon.com that the company is already piloting the cards within the company and then plans to start trials with customers. He added that Vodafone also plans to be the first to get a commercial HSUPA network up and running.

He said: "HSUPA is coming within a year. It's just a question of how soon the [network kit] vendors can get it out there."