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Cingular Wireless, the largest mobile operator in the United States, has finally launched a 3G network. Over a year after principal rival Verizon Wireless starting rolling out its own now highly extensive cellular-broadband system.

The AT&T and the BellSouth Corporation co-owned carrier's BroadbandConnect service is based on High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) technology. With data transfer rates between 400 and 700 kilobits per second (kbps), HSDPA offers performance comparable to Verizon and Sprint's Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) high-speed networks. Cingular says its HSPDA network should hit 1.8 megabits per second (Mbps) over time.

At launch, only sixteen cities support Cingular's HSDPA service—compared to 171 markets available for Verizon's EV-DO network now. These cities include Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland Oregon, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose California, Seattle, Tacoma, and Washington D.C. Cingular plans to quickly add more markets during the coming year.

HSPDA is the next stage in the development of GSM/EDGE (Global System for Mobile Communication/Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution), the most commonly used cellular technology in the world, particularly outside the U.S. Carriers like Verizon and Sprint keep CDMA, GSM's chief competitor, alive and popula in this country. Cingular's HSPDA launch is the largest the world has yet seen for the 3G technology.

While service should prove a boon to Cingular's many mobile customers, they'll have to wait until the carrier starts offering some compatible mobile phones and smartphones, as none are available yet. Until then, HSPDA is for laptops only through PC Cards provided by Novatel Wireless and Sierra Wireless. And remember, as with any data service, you’ll pay extra for BroadbandConnect and probably even more for individual products within it.

Why 3G? Faster networks, data and content have been shown to increase ARPU (average revenue per user) over voice alone, which has increasingly become a commodity. You see, with the rollout of a faster network, Cingular, like other carriers in the U.S. and around the world, is looking to drive up revenues. The delivery of e-mail, the Web, music, games, TV, etc. is the future for operators who've seen their voice profits drop considerably over the last few years.