VODAFONE TO TRIAL HSPA PLUS

Vodafone Group Plc
12 February 2008

12 February 2008

   
    VODAFONE EYES HSPA+ AS A KEY TECHNOLOGY TO HEAD THE MOBILE BROADBAND RACE

Vodafone is to trial HSPA+, an evolution of today's radio access HSPA
technology, to assess its potential to deliver even higher data rates through
the upgrade of existing network equipment.

Vodafone will work alongside Ericsson, Huawei and Qualcomm to trial Release 7
HSPA+ (also known as HSPA Evolution) which has the potential to handle data even
more efficiently than today's HSPA technology.

The initiative will help to establish whether HSPA+ is capable of delivering
data throughput rates of up to 28.8 Mbps compared to the 14.4 Mbps maximum
offered by today's HSPA networks. If successful, the technology has the
potential to extend the life of today's HSPA infrastructure still further.

HSPA+ technology is designed to offer higher throughput than HSPA through its
use of multiple antennae on both base stations and handsets (Multiple Input
Multiple Output) as well as the deployment of a complex modulation technique
called 64-QAM HSDPA. Both features will require new advanced devices compliant
to 3GPP Release7 standard.

The project builds on early technical assessments that Vodafone has already
carried out where the MIMO version of HSPA+ recorded high data throughput rates
for users in a simulated urban macrocellular network.

Last year Vodafone launched a 3G broadband service based on High Speed Packet
Access (HSPA) with downlink peak rates of up to 7.2Mbps in selected hotspots
within some key markets. Vodafone plans to carry out software upgrades to more
of these selected hotspots to deliver up to14.4Mbps from the end of the year as
part of the existing HSPA roadmap subject to device availability.

'These trials will help us to ascertain whether HSPA+ voice and data capacity
enhancements will be able to leverage existing UMTS assets, including radio
spectrum, to prolong the lifespan of current UMTS networks still further,' said
Steve Pusey, Global CTO of Vodafone. 'It will complement the exploratory work we
are carrying out into more long-term next generation wireless technologies such
as LTE.'

                                    - ends -

For further information:

Vodafone Group

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Notes to Editors


HSPA+ technology (HSPA Evolution) refers to a new set of features predominantly
driven by the 3GPP Release 7 standard that support the evolution of HSPA towards
higher user throughput and improved support of packet services.


The two flagship HSPA+ features are 64QAM (higher order modulation) and MIMO
(Multiple Input Multiple Output) which raise the possibility of supporting high
peak data rates of up to 28.8 Mbps on the downlink.

The quoted theoretical maximum rates include capacity set aside for technical
administration which could reduce the net theoretical maximum rate available to
the end user


About Vodafone


Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile communications group with
operations in 25 countries across five continents and over 252 million
proportionate customers at 31 December 2007, as well as 40 partner networks. For
further information, please visit www.vodafone.com



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