Huawei Technologies of China has helped Egyptian 3G telecom operator Etisalat Misr launch the second phase of its HSPA+ (Evolved High-Speed Packet Access) network, Al Bawaba reported on May 6. The second-phase project, deployed by Huawei, is an upgrade from the previous 21Mbps HSPA+ network and is capable of delivering mobile broadband access services at a maximum download speed of 41.73Mbps. It is reported that Etisalat Misr's 3G services have reached 80% population coverage in major cities and towns across Egypt. The partnership between Etisalat Misr and Huawei began in 2006.