Remember when various service operators in Europe were trying to see if UMTS and HSDPA would run on current networks? Turns out Telstra's latest Australian venture might prove this possible; with the launch of the NEXT G service, the operator is providing HSDPA using the 850 Mhz band.

HSDPA is designed to run on 2100 Mhz networks. By deploying this service using existing and proven equipment, telstra was able to create the "world's geographically largest national 3GSM network" (so the company claims) with an investment of "only" 1 billion Australian dollars (approximately 750 million US dollars).

Skepticism: Some analysts though are questioning this venture's feasibility. But I think this announcement may be a good sign, because it shows that providing next-generation services on current-generation networks is possible. Perhaps other companies in other countries will take the plunge?

Thanks to Geekzone for the heads-up.