Orange France has launched an upgrade of its HSDPA network from 7.2 Mbps to 14.4 Mbps. The upgrade kicks off in Paris and its La Defense business district this month. It will be extended to Bordeaux, Gernoble, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Strasbourg, Toulon and Toulouse in the first and second half of the year. At top speed, a 5 MB file will now take 3 seconds to download, compared to 7.5 seconds previously. An e-mail with a 1 MB attachment will take less than 1 second. In parallel, Orange Business Services has launched two range of Business Everywhere plans. The adjustable plan automatically adjusts the price on the basis of four usage thresholds, starting at EUR 11 per month for 15 MB per line on a two-year contract. The second plan offers unlimited mobile broadband connection for EUR 39 per month. Both come with unlimited Wi-Fi connection at Orange hotspots in France. Orange said it would shortly release a new 14.4 Mbps compatible version of the Option Icon 505 dongle for EUR 9.90 with a two-year subscrition, with a free upgrade for current users of the Icon 505.

source:telecompaper