Austrian premiere: LTE (Long Term Evolution) for the first time on a mobile device - The next step in the development of mobile data transfer offers peak rates of up to 173 Mbps and increases average speeds for the growing number of customers - Following Europe's first commercial launch of HSPA+ in March 2009, mobilkom austria reached its expansion target for 2009 already in by mid-year - Across Austria, areas with high usage are already covered with HSPA+ - Beginning 1 July 2009, the new HSPA+ USB stick Huawei E182e is available from the A1 Online SHOP starting at EUR 29.00.

"In order to offer our customers the best possible quality, we are always intensely involved with future technologies", says Johann Pichler, Chief Technology Officer of mobilkom austria and the mobilkom austria group. "As a result, we were able to offer HSPA+ early on everywhere where there is increased demand. We will also integrate LTE – the next step in technology – into the network in such a way that our customers derive the maximum benefit." HSPA+ has been available in the mobilkom austria network since March 2009. In time for the sales launch the new HSPA+ USB stick Huawei E182e, the expansion target for 2009 has also been reached ahead of schedule. Across Austria, areas with increased capacity requirements have been equipped with the data turbo, which currently allows peak rates of up to 21 Mbps and in the course of the year will even make speeds of up to 28 Mbps possible.

LTE – The Future Within Reach
In May of last year mobilkom austria presented LTE for the first time in Austria. In yet another Austrian premiere, this year mobilkom austria together with Ericsson demonstrated LTE on a mobile device, showing what the future of mobile data transfer will look like under real-life conditions. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution and will make top speeds of up to 173 Mbps possible. "It is not only the maximum values that matter for our customers. Much more important is that they can rely on high average speeds when surfing the internet," adds Dr. Reinhard Zuba, Head of Marketing at mobilkom austria. "The fact that more than 440,000 customers are using our mobile broadband service today is due not least of all to the fact that we always offer the best available technology," Zuba continued.

LTE as a Supplement to the Mobile Network
"LTE is compatible with the previous technologies used in the mobilkom austria network. Therefore, it can also be used complementarily – especially in areas with increased data traffic," says Mikael Bдck, Ericsson Vice President Product and Portfolio Management, explaining one of the main advantages of the new technology. Customers also benefit from lower latency periods, while network operators benefit from flatter architecture, resulting in lower operation and maintenance costs. At the presentation Bдck was especially proud: "Together with mobilkom austria we stand for the fastest network in Austria; together, we are demonstrating that our two companies are best equipped for the future."

New HSPA+ Modems Available Beginning 1 July from the A1 Online SHOP
The new USB stick Huawei 182e is available beginning 1 July 2009 from the A1 Online SHOP beginning at EUR 29.00. The device supports the respective best available transmission technology; depending on region, those are HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps, HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA up to 5.7 Mbps, UMTS and EDGE/GPRS. In addition, it has a MicroSD slot for memory cards of up to 4 GB.

Note to Editors:
If you are interested in following all the news on mobilkom austria, you can now find the latest information on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mobilkomaustria

Direct Source: Mobilkom Austria