Qtel nears completion of network upgrade

Qatar's incumbent operator Qtel is due to complete an upgrade to its HSDPA network in February, allowing it to offer mobile broadband with download speeds of up to 14.4Mbps.

Qtel started work on the upgrade in the fourth quarter of 2009, with Nokia Siemens Networks supplying its latest generation of base stations and all-IP backhaul technology to increase speed and capacity of the network.

Qtel said that while customers will benefit from an "immediate improvement" in the average download speed as the upgrade becomes available, individual user experience will be determined by the distance from the nearest base station and the number of customers using that station, as with regular 3G services.  

The network upgrade was necessary to help Qtel cope with fast rising demand for mobile broadband services, with a steep increase in the use of 3G handsets in the country driving demand.

Furthermore, 3G traffic looks set to continue rising with Qtel expected to launch the Apple iPhone - a device widely credited with increasing 3G demand around the world - in the coming months. Qatar's second operator Vodafone Qatar started offering its customers the Apple iPhone in December.