AT&T announced Wednesday that it is on track to complete its 3G mobile broadband network by the end of June, thus becoming the first U.S. carrier to fully deploy High-Speed Packet Acces (HSPA) technology over its network.

HSPA is a mobile broadband technology that is comprised of two wireless broadband protocols, known as HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and HPUSA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access), that operate on 3G mobile devices. AT&T's HSPA network currently delivers data download speeds of up to 1.4Mbps and upload speeds of up to 800Kbps. Currently, AT&T's HSPA services are available in around 275 markets in the United States, and the company says  they will be available in 350 U.S. markets by year-end.

AT&T will offer its 3G services to all customers who have HSPA-enabled handsets and laptops, including any laptop with a LaptopConnect wireless modem. The company says 75 percent of its currently available handsets are 3G-capable and that it plans to release more 3G smartphones throughout the year. Some analysts have speculated that AT&T and Apple will release the first 3G-capable iPhone sometime this summer.

"The ability to quickly upload large files from a laptop is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity," says Kris Rinne, the senior vice president of architecture and planning for AT&T's wireless operations. "By fully deploying HSUPA across our 3G footprint, we not only meet the current needs of our customers but also lay the path for our continued evolution to even fast wireless broadband capabilities."

AT&T views its full HSPA deployment as the next logical step in its eventual progression to deploying the 4G  LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology that is expected to first have devices on the market in 2010. LTE and HSPA are both variations of UMTS that was developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to mobile broadband services for GSM devices.

AT&T first began  deploying its 3G network and services in 2004 when it rolled out a 220Kbps -- 320Kbps Wideband Code Division Multiple Access service to four U.S. markets. Between 2005 and 2008, the company has invested nearly $20 billion in network upgrades that have helped transition its wireless network to 3G services.

In separate announcements Wednesday, Qualcomm said it has invested in vendor ip.access, which develops femtocell and picocell products and the Femto Forum announced a partnership with the GSM Association, along with an agreement on how to integrate into mobile networks via broadband.

"This shows there is acceleration in the interest in femto cells, the industry is shaping up. It was embryonic a year ago, but now it has turned into a real concept, and real products are emerging," said Stephen Mallinson, CEO of ip.access. Financial terms of Qualcomm's investment were not disclosed.

Femtocells are small base stations for wireless home broadband. They improve indoor coverage and increase capacity. When a user is making calls and surfing the Web with a phone or laptop equipped with wireless broadband signals are sent via the femto cell and a fixed broadband connection.

The funding deal with Qualcomm will help ip.access roll out products, according to Mallinson.

"Qualcomm has access to people we might find it more difficult to get access to, likewise we can talk about where the femto industry is going, and I think that could be valuable to them," Mallinson said.

Cisco Systems, Intel, and Motorola have also invested in ip.access.

Interoperability is key for femto cells to become successful in the mass market, and the Femto Forum-related announcements are aimed at that goal.

"Interoperability is our bread and butter, ensuring a full range of services at home. You don't want an error message when you swap to your femto cell," said David Pringle, spokesman at GSM Association.

It's also important for the technology to work from day one because if consumers don't have a good experience it will affect the image of femto cells, Pringle said.

"There is a balancing act here between bringing the technology to the market fast and ensuring it works properly," said Pringle.

The Femto Forum is also adding AT&T, China Telecom, Nortel, SK Telecom, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile to its member roster.

Both ip.access and the GSM Association expect to see their first commercial services launch toward the end of the year, but big volumes will happen next year, according to Mallinson.