HSPA Evolution (HSPA+)

High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+), also known as High Speed Packet Access Evolution, is a new work study item in 3GPP that is intended to be an upgrade to HSPA technology. HSPA+ is an effort to further improve the radio performance of HSPA (HSDPA and HSUPA combined) to create a highly optimized version of HSPA that employs both Release 7 features and other incremental features such as interference cancellation and optimizations to reduce latency as well as enable co-existence with and a smooth migration path towards LTE (Long Term Evolution) and SAE (System Architecture Evolution).

The goals of HSPA+ are to:

• Exploit the full potential of a CDMA approach before moving to an OFDM platform in 3GPP LTE.
• Achieve performance comparable to LTE in 5 MHz of spectrum.
• Provide smooth interworking between HSPA+ and LTE that facilitates operation of both technologies. As such, operators may choose to leverage the SAE planned for LTE.
• Allow operation in a packet-only mode for both voice and data.
• Be backward compatible with previous systems while incurring no performance degradation with either earlier or newer devices.
• Facilitate migration from current HSPA infrastructure to HSPA+ infrastructure.

Depending on the features implemented, HSPA+ could match, and possibly exceed, the potential performance capabilities of IEEE 802.16e-2005 (mobile WiMAX) in the same amount of spectrum, and could match LTE performance in 5 MHz. HSPA, HSPA+ and other advanced functions provide a compelling advantage for UMTS over competing technologies: The ability today to support voice and data services on the same carrier and across the whole available radio spectrum, to offer these services simultaneously to users, to deliver data at ever-increasing broadband rates, and to do so in a spectrally efficient manner.

Additional Information

HSPA+ Questions and Answers

Evolution of TDMA, CDMA, and OFDM systems: 2006-2011 (PDF - 71 KB)