Samsung, Qualcomm and Vodafone in unique HSDPA deal

Samsung, Qualcomm and Vodafone in unique HSDPA deal

SEOUL - In a deal that has major implications over the future of mobile telephony in Europe, South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has intimated that it would be working with UK mobile leader Vodafone Group PLC and American company Qualcomm Inc to manufacturer new high-speed mobile phones that can make use of the emerging technologies.

The high speed downlink packet access technology (HSDPA) is a new technology that is capable of transmitting data at a high speed over cellular networks. Announcing the company's intentions, Lee Ki-Tae, chief of Samsung's handset division said, "Samsung is proud to commercialize HSDPA technology with Vodafone and Qualcomm, opening up a variety of multimedia applications at quicker speeds and lower costs." A statement issued by the company also said that Samsung would make use of chips supplied by Qualcomm to manufacturer HSDPA handsets.

These handsets would be exclusively licensed to Vodafone. The Suwon, South Korea-based Company did not commit on what the exact financial arrangements were, but only said that the HSDPA technology allowed users to download an average feature film in one of two minutes.

Meanwhile, researcher Gartner Inc has said that this particular technology, which is estimated to be seven times as fast as the 3G standards, would gain immense popularity and account for 102 million unit shipments by 2009. This is a phenomenal rise from just 6.3 million units that are being currently shipped in world markets.