Vodafone has run out tests in Spain of HSPA+, with a record 16Mbps obtained during field trials of this next mobile bandwidth beast.

They’ve partnered with Ericsson and Qualcomm to achieve this mighty mighty feat of the HSPA+ 64QAM goodness, with a view to step it up a notch this year.

They’ll be pushing the boundaries then by trying to reach 21Mbps HSPA+ MIMO functionality, with talks of video being able to be seen at 13Mbps in decent quality. Hurrah!

It appears Vodafone is using Spain as testing ground, where if these trials are successful the technology will be rolled out in the regions they operate within.

The magic of HSPA+ is achieved through advanced modulation technique called 64QAM, where as the step up from there uses multiple antennae hence the MIMO – Multiple Input Multiple Output.

Sadly, from what we gather new mobile broadband devices will be needed, as the tech isn’t compatible with what’s already around today. This is why Vodafone in their infinite wisdom are also testing and validating vendors at the exact same time.

Most areas though are still at the measly 7.2Mbps on average, where this news will be welcomed with dancing in the streets.

It’s been said that 3 and T-Mobile are working on HSDPA at 14.4Mbps with a 99% UK coverage, by Q3 of 2010. We’re still some way off from seeing HSPA+, but fingers crossed for the future.

Still, where are our flying cars?