Faster wireless telecoms may be offered to UK firms this summer, as more mobile operators have announced plans to roll out High-speed Download Packet Access (HSDPA) services, sometimes referred to as Super 3G.

Most mobile operators have now revealed their launch plans. The latest to do so is 3, which said its trials based on Nokia and NEC infrastructure are now delivering speeds up to 1.4Mbit/s – over three times faster than current 3G services based on UMTS technology. The company said it currently offers 3G coverage to 88 percent of the UK population.

The growth of HSDPA is likely to limit demand for other wireless broadband technologies such as WiMax, argued Vodafone chief executive Arun Sarin, speaking at this year's 3GSM congress in Barcelona. "I think WiMax will be less interesting after HSDPA launches," he said.

Some pundits believe that WiMax technology will be restricted to a niche role.
A report published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has concluded that WiMax's main use might be in areas that have poor 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity.

However, even here WiMax systems might require significant subsidies from the government before the technology could be widely used as an access mechanism, it said.

The OECD said its main reason for predicting WiMax will have only a limited role is that in some places governments have been slow to allocate spectrum, and licensees have been slow to develop services.

The report says, "The success of WiMax partially will depend on the availability of spectrum in OECD markets. Initial equipment will work in one of three main frequency ranges, 2.5GHz, 3.5GHz and 5GHz. Existing allocations of spectrum should be examined to see where space could be available for new broadband wireless technologies. Spectrum allocations should be technologically neutral."

In the UK the most likely band for WiMax is at 3.5GHz. Currently only PCCW-owned telecoms provider UK Broadband has rolled out a limited service using this band, in the Thames Valley.