First taste of turbocharged 3G

Read also: Telecom promises HSPA+ by month's end

I’m currently at Vodafone’s Auckland office on the Viaduct, test HSPA+ with Scott Bartley from PC World and everyman Juha Saarinen.

There have been some time-out issues with the HSPA+ site we’re connecting to, and often I’ve clocked around 2Mbit/s using Speedtest.net.

But I’ve also registered a couple of scorchers, including this 11.59Mbit/s effort:

Juha has hit 12.91Mbit/s (see his Techsploder post here). Scott’s been clocking mid 5s.

Vodafone maintain speedtest.net doesn’t show HSPA+ in full effect, because its 1MB test file gets sucked down before the network hits its full stride. Downloading a series of big Linux distros, a Vodafone techie hit 20Mbit/s - very close to HSPA+'s theoretical maximum.

To put that in contrast, the fastest speed I've ever clocked using a data card is around 3.5Mbit/s on XT. On the plain vanilla HSPA versions of either carrier's network, it's not often you top 2 to 2.5Mbit/s.

The site is currently being reset, so more soon tests soon, and I’ll add some ftp tests in the p.m.

What speed can you expect?
Telecom - which is also demoing HSPA+ this morning, in Wellington - is setting the bar at a modest 4Mbit/s for HSPA+ downloads. As ever, real-world speed depends on factors like how many others are connected at the same time, and the quality of your connection to the nearest cell site, among other factors.

Vodafone reckons its real-world HSPA+ speeds will be closer to 10Mbit/s (in Australia, Telstra tells customers to expect 7-8Mbit/s on its recent HSPA+ upgrade.

Coverage today
Around 100 customers are trialing Vodafone's HSPA+ upgrade around Auckland in a test area that extends from the CBD southwards to Balmoral, east as far as Mt Hobson and west as far as Grey Lynn.

All sites in the test quadrant have fibre backhaul.

The carrier has yet to announce any pricing for its HSPA+ data stick (which looks like the existing Vodem but a little chunkier) or plans, or a roll-out timetable (other than that it will be available during 2010).

Telecom has pledged to roll-out hits HSPA+ enhanced version of XT before Christmas. Its first compatible device, the TT stick, costs $149 on a two-year, $69.95 a month data plan that includes 8GB of data.

Vodafone says it is waiting to guage results from its trial group before setting pricing and data caps.

Telecom says compatible handsets are six to 12 months away; Vodafone says it could be longer. Both telcos have to wait for handset manufacturers to catch up with HSPA+.

The HSPA+ version of the V Stick, or Vodem, is a little chunkier than its HSPA predecessor, but still thumb size. Like other sticks, it takes its own sim card, and has a slot for a MicroSD card.

A geeky-cool design touch sees a purple light on top of the new V-Stick change to light blue when you get an HSPA+ connection.