Telstra has completed the upgrade of its HSPA+ network with the world’s first deployment of Dual Carrier technology. In addition, the Australian operator has unveiled a supporting device at Mobile World Congress today.

The move sees Telstra use two channels simultaneously, potentially allowing theoretical peak download speeds of up to 42 Mb/s. 

A USB modem from Sierra Wireless will go on sale later in the year. It is not yet known which areas of Australia will first be served by the new technology.

“The completion of the HSPA+ Dual Carrier upgrade will mean a better customer experience in areas of high demand, making the Telstra Next G network better placed to deal with the capacity demands that are causing headaches for other carriers around the world,” said David Thodey, Telstra’s CEO. “With HSPA+ Dual Carrier technology we expect to offer speeds that are comparable to the initial speeds we have seen reported from some fledgling LTE networks,” said Thodey. 

While confirming that LTE remains on Telstra’s technology roadmap, Thodey remains convinced HSPA+ still has huge potential: “We will take full advantage of this by again doubling our peak network speeds to 84 Mb/s through the implementation of HSPA+ Dual Carrier plus MIMO technology during 2011.” This will require new compatible devices that Telstra anticipates will come to market in 2011. 

Ericsson supported the upgrade of Telstra’s network, along with Qualcomm.