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Yesterday, AT&T announced that it plans to release its High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) in six more US markets by the end of June, completing its deployment of HSPA. Once that task is completed, the company says that the 3G service will offer uplink speeds of between 500 and 800Kbps, which will complement the roughly 1.4Mbps downlink that AT&T already offers. The timing of AT&T’s upgrade doesn’t seem to be a coincidence, since Apple’s rumored 3G iPhone is expected to launch in early June.

AT&T’s numbers are most likely based on controlled testing, so real speeds may be a bit lower than estimated, depending on your location. Users of AT&T’s pre-HSUPA 3G network have experienced uplink speeds of around 200 to 300Kbps, so even an upgrade to AT&T’s lowest estimate (500Kbps) will be a welcome upgrade.

The upgrade is part of AT&T’s $20 billion effort to improve its network, which it began back in 2005. The company said that the speedier 3G network is already available in over 275 markets, and that it will be available to customers in another 75 or so markets by the end of 2008. AT&T will be the only US carrier to have fully deployed HSUPA on its 3G network, making it the largest of its kind in the United States.

Via [IntoMobile]