Mobiles, lap tops and other hand held communication devices promised to revolutionise the way we communicate. They've certainly given us the power to work away from the office and to decide when and how we want to be contacted; however coverage and slow speeds often make this unbearable.

HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Access) will change this.  The new protocol, which offers supreme speed and coverage, is employed by Telstra for its Next G network. Thanks to HSDPA Telstra's Next G offers users unmatched video quality, extremely fast download speeds and (once rollout is complete) a greater coverage area.

HSDPA has the potential to enormously affect the efficiency and productivity of businesses and greatly improve remote communication. A HSDPA powered network has a higher traffic capacity than other networks so staff won't have to wait to download large files. Sending and receiving media rich content such as video, audio and images will be faster and clearer. Wireless speeds and improved coverage mean working away from the office will be easier. This means efficiency will improve as users will not have to search for a hot spot or worry if their phone will drop out during an important call.

HSDPA has the same range as a mobile phone so remote communication will be faster and more reliable. Not only will this improve logistics for business owners in remote areas, potential customer reach will increase thanks to internet speeds equal to city businesses'.

Globalisation and the internet mean consumers have more choices now than ever before. If a potential customer cannot get a hold of you, or hasn't had an immediate response to the sales enquiry he or she emailed you last night, they can and will go somewhere else. HSDPA offers users matchless mobility, so situations like not having wireless access or coverage for your phone to respond to enquiries, will be eliminated.

Two HSDPA enabled products already on the market from which the mobile professional will benefit are Bigpond's Wireless Broadband Mobile Card and Ericsson's W Series Fixed Wireless Terminals (www.ericssonw25.com). Both allow wireless internet, with the Ericsson units also facilitating voice services.