Qualcomm today announced a further advancement to the UMTS platform that is capable of faster download and upload speeds. HSPA+ accelerates both uploads and downloads, even over gains that are expected with HSUPA, by using MIMO technology. This appears to be a pre-standard version of the next evolution of UMTS after HSUPA. The company claims the new protocol is capable of 28 Mbps downloads and 11 Mbps uploads - double that of HSUPA - and is backwards compatible with current networks and equipment. Cingular may leapfrog HSUPA and is interested in migrating to this HSPA+ according to Kris Rinne, Cingular VP of Architecture and Planning. Qualcomm will make the first HSPA+ compatible chips by the end of this year and believes operators could start switching on the faster protocol as soon as 2008.