Vodafone, which is facing stiff competition from Three's (3) new pricing, aims to crank up the speed of its 3G Mobile Broadband service by introducing HSUPA technology while pushing its existing HSDPA even further.

The mobile phone operator hopes its adjustments will raise Mobile Broadband speeds by up to 7.2Mbps downstream and 1.44Mbps upstream. This compares very favourably with their current maximum rates of 1.4Mbps downstream and 384Kbps upstream.

Much as with Three's rollout of identical technology, Vodafone will initially concentrate on areas of dense population (e.g. London), such as big cities. New USB adaptor modems and related PCMCIA laptop cards should be available for 3rd September 2007.

Sadly there's no word on any adjustments to Vodafone's business pricing, which currently charges a pleasant £29.37 for 3GB's of monthly usage. The operator may be hoping that faster speeds ultimately prove more attractive than Three's pending £25 for 7GB package.

The news can only be good for the wider market as it clearly shows the impact competition is having in helping to bring Mobile Broadband to the masses.