When it comes to broadband access network infrastructure upgrades, telecom carriers face high capital expense costs and subscriber reluctance to pay the real price for one big pipe to deliver everything. Find out why changing market forces are highlighting the need for a more intelligent edge.

HSPA is on adrenaline; network deployments of HSPA+ are rapidly increasing and throughput speeds are hitting new high levels. 3G Americas, a wireless industry trade association representing the GSM family of technologies including LTE, reports that 42 of the 303 HSPA operators worldwide have upgraded their networks to HSPA+ . HSPA technology has received widescale support from leading manufacturers; one vendor recently announced plans to showcase live demonstrations of HSPA+ at peak theoretical throughput rates of 84 Mbps at the upcoming 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR; TSX: SW) announced the introduction of a new offer for wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, in partnership with the innovative French wireless network operator Bouygues Telecom. Targeting industrial, sales and payment and security solutions, the two companies present a truly ready-to-use package which greatly facilitates the development, logistics and management of M2M solutions.

Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR) and Funkwerk Enterprise Communications GmbH announced that Funkwerk has selected the Sierra Wireless AirPrime MC8790 HSPA Embedded Module to provide high-speed mobile broadband connectivity to the Funkwerk bintec RS120wu router. The bintec RS120wu router utilizes the AirPrime MC8790 module to offer speeds up to 7.2 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and up to 5.76 Mbps on the uplink and can be used as a primary and back up connection.