Talk about a role reversal. After years of playing catch-up, the U.S. wireless industry became the first to reach a major technology milestone. Cingular today became the first global provider to launch a commercial high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) network.

Of course, the network might as well be sitting in a vacuum since there are no HSDPA handsets or data cards available over the new networks, but nobody's perfect. In fact, for all practical purposes, Cingular is right on pace with many of the world's carriers that have scheduled their HSDPA launches for next year: Sometime in 2006, Cingular expects to have its first HSDPA handsets available.

Basically, Cingular is trying to show it's not dragging its feet. HSDPA is a brand-spanking-new technology, and Cingular hasn't exactly been known as a trailblazer in the past, so naturally questions as to whether Cingular could pull this feat off have been coming in from all quarters. Yeah, there won't be anyone out there with HSDPA service until Cingular launches its first PC cards either late this year or next, but it has a network up and running. It's not much, but it's saying something.

Contact me at kfitchard@primediabusiness.com.