The British people will get mobile Internet speeds comparable with South Korea and the United States after EE will have launched next generation 4G+ network.
The new technology, LTE-Advanced, allows devices to connect to two different 4G mobile signals simultaneously, thus doubling the capacity in the densest populated regions. In other words, the use of such network will allow to keep the data network strong even on packed trains, removing the frustrating overcapacity issues as commuters all try to access the worldwide web at the same time.
Vodafone has already announced the start of its LTE-Advanced rollout on 15 October in three major UK cities, doubling capacity for its users.
Everything Everywhere had been trialing the new technology in London’s Tech City in attempt to replace a fixed-line broadband for startups in the region with it. The new technology should allow to deliver data speeds of up to 300Mbps, though in reality speeds are expected to peak at approximately 150Mbps. In the meantime, regular speeds will be around 90Mbps, 5 times faster the average British broadband speed, which is 17.8Mbps according to the UK Internet regulator Ofcom.
Doubling the capacity of the network will allow broadband providers to ensure that every customer can watch video streaming at 5Mbps no matter how busy the network gets. While only owners of compatible devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Alpha, will be able to use 4G+, every customer of EE is promised to see their average speeds increase.
It is known that EE has the largest 4G network in the United Kingdom, covering 300 towns and cities and 3/4 of the population and accounting for 6,000,000 subscribers. O2 and Three have not yet confirmed their plans to launch 4G+.
According to statistics, there are 83.1 million mobile phone subscribers in the United Kingdom, and 61% of adults own a smartphone.
The industry observers point out that the new LTE-Advanced technology brings the United Kingdom up to speed with some of the fastest and most connected countries ever, including South Korea, Japan and the United States. In other words, the United Kingdom leapfrogged most of the mobile networks in Europe. It is known that Vodafone Spain rolled out LTE-A in 3 cities in 2014, and Swisscom is going to launch LTE-A in 2015.
Source: The Guardian
