The success of HSPA systems continues and there is growing momentum towards the evolved version of the technology - HSPA+, which was largely specified in 3GPP Release 7.

A recent report from the GSA highlights the contribution of dual carrier or dual cell technology (DC-HSPA+) towards delivering 42 Mbps, using 64QAM modulation and using dual adjacent carriers.

GSA have reported that there are now 245 HSPA+ devices available, compared to 92 just a year ago.

As operators face the challenge of more demand for mobile services and the limited available capacity to deliver them, a call has been made for additional spectrum to be found.

In their new White Paper the UMTS Forum urges the ITU to examine spectrum requirements for 3GPP systems as well as broader IMT systems, to identify the potential for harmonized spectrum at its future conferences.

The Forum urges that additional spectrum should be allocated.

Seven Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) are set to create a cooperative M2M standards activity.

In doing this, they intend to pull together multiple industries to create specifications that will improve the return on investment on standards work and create a worldwide potential for M2M applications. This approach has been inspired by the 3GPP model and during the establishment of the M2M initiative, the SDOs have looked to 3GPP and its market-focus and global participation as a bench mark.

3GPP systems are also expected to be a vital enabler for M2M from the outset.

A press release, issued simultaneously by the SDOs, announced that “the global initiative will be established early in 2012 and will then initiate the technical work to meet the challenges of rapidly evolving industries.”

ETSI has issued a call for candidates for the post of Project Manager in the ETSI Mobile Competence Centre (MCC), to be responsible for technical support of one or more 3GPP Working Groups.

Applications for this position should be received before the 31st January 2012.

For full details click here.

There were some emotional moments – after hours - on the Tuesday evening of the 3GPP SA meeting, in Berlin. Nothing to do with the progress of Carrier Aggregation or Machine to machine priorities, but around a bunch of odd looking phones, brought here for the 3GPP ‘OLD MOBILE PHONE COMPETITION’.

The rules were few, but strict. Each contender had to be present & demonstrate their phone and had to attempt a voice call over the local network.

From the weighty and barely transportable Motorola 1000 through the ancient Ericsson GH197 and original Nokia 2110, to the almost indestructible Siemens S10 brick and the classic house building material that was the Nokia Communicator…the surprising fact is that given a good power supply and an active SIM card, these phones still work and do what they were designed to do – communicate.