O2 is rolling out a trial of a 4G LTE network in London. The project will run from now till summer 2012 and will allow a number of individuals and businesses to test and see what mobile broadband runs like at 4G LTE speeds.
The network is currently capable of speeds up to 100Mbps and is built with 25 sites that cover 40 square kilometres of London.
The network stretches from Hyde Park to The O2 in Greenwich and has been designed to cover key areas of the capital, including Canary Wharf, Soho, Westminster, South Bank and Kings Cross.
4G can be as fast as the fastest landline fibre home broadband connections – more than ten times as fast as 3G. At these speeds, the time to download a 500MB file could be as quick as under one minute, compared to over 5 minutes on 3G.
It is expected that networks will begin rolling out 4G in 2013 after these trials. This gives time for the relevant 4G spectrum auction to take place.
Although it’s still a few years away, the new mobile broadband speeds will be most welcomed. The speed increase between 3G and 4G has been described as having the same effect of going from dialup to broadband. We also understand that 4G has better coverage which is a bonus for those living in rural areas. By getting a signal out far it could bring broadband to places which are typically difficult to get fast internet access in.
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