Years after the technology was developed, it seems that mobile phone giants O2 and Vodafone have finally decided that their London customers should have access to 4G data services.
It was reported this week that O2 will be enabling London, Leeds and Bradford with its 4G service, while Vodafone will limit the implementation to specific areas of London. The news comes as a relief to Londoners who have been desperate for improved data services in the nation’s capital.
Christoforos Nikos Amanatidis, who splits his time between his homes in London and Dubai, welcomed the plans. He comments:
“I find it incredible that it has taken the mainstream networks so long to bring 4G to London. I’ve travelled to some tiny cities within Europe and been able to access 4G, so it’s great to see that London is finally catching up. London is usually such a leader in the deployment of new technology, it’s surprising that it has taken this long for the mobile phone companies to provide 4G there. ”
Until now, the only company within the UK to offer ‘superfast’ mobile data has been EE, which launched the service in October 2012 and now covers 105 cities. Now EE will find itself competing with the network giants for its share of the 4G customer marketplace. Mobile network Three also intends to launch a 4G service in December 2013, targeting Manchester, Birmingham and London.
It is anticipated that O2 and Vodafone 4G access will be put forward to customers as a premium service initially, in much the same way as 3G was when it was first rolled out across the UK. Three, however, has indicated that it will not be charging customers any extra for the improved service.
The UK has lagged behind the US, Australia and Japan in its embracing of 4G, a fact which Christoforos laments:
“There seems to have been a reluctance within the UK to roll out 4G, which I don’t understand. The technology has been implemented successfully in other countries, so it will be good if the UK finally catches up.”
With the use of smartphones and tablet devices increasing annually within the UK, the move is something that will be well received in those cities where the 4G network is initially being rolled out. Users are ever-more demanding in terms of data streaming as devices become more sophisticated and their owners wish to view videos or engage in complex internet-based gaming while on the move. Although many do not yet appreciate the advantages of 4G (a survey by Ofcom, the industry regulator, found that nearly 25% of smartphone users did not see the advantages of the superfast network), it is anticipated that – just like 3G – the service will soon become essential once it begins to be rolled out.
Christoforos intends to monitor developments with interest over the coming months and looks forwarding to trying out the UK’s new superfast network on his iPad at the first available opportunity.
It was reported this week that O2 will be enabling London, Leeds and Bradford with its 4G service, while Vodafone will limit the implementation to specific areas of London. The news comes as a relief to Londoners who have been desperate for improved data services in the nation’s capital.
Christoforos Nikos Amanatidis, who splits his time between his homes in London and Dubai, welcomed the plans. He comments:
“I find it incredible that it has taken the mainstream networks so long to bring 4G to London. I’ve travelled to some tiny cities within Europe and been able to access 4G, so it’s great to see that London is finally catching up. London is usually such a leader in the deployment of new technology, it’s surprising that it has taken this long for the mobile phone companies to provide 4G there. ”
Until now, the only company within the UK to offer ‘superfast’ mobile data has been EE, which launched the service in October 2012 and now covers 105 cities. Now EE will find itself competing with the network giants for its share of the 4G customer marketplace. Mobile network Three also intends to launch a 4G service in December 2013, targeting Manchester, Birmingham and London.
It is anticipated that O2 and Vodafone 4G access will be put forward to customers as a premium service initially, in much the same way as 3G was when it was first rolled out across the UK. Three, however, has indicated that it will not be charging customers any extra for the improved service.
The UK has lagged behind the US, Australia and Japan in its embracing of 4G, a fact which Christoforos laments:
“There seems to have been a reluctance within the UK to roll out 4G, which I don’t understand. The technology has been implemented successfully in other countries, so it will be good if the UK finally catches up.”
With the use of smartphones and tablet devices increasing annually within the UK, the move is something that will be well received in those cities where the 4G network is initially being rolled out. Users are ever-more demanding in terms of data streaming as devices become more sophisticated and their owners wish to view videos or engage in complex internet-based gaming while on the move. Although many do not yet appreciate the advantages of 4G (a survey by Ofcom, the industry regulator, found that nearly 25% of smartphone users did not see the advantages of the superfast network), it is anticipated that – just like 3G – the service will soon become essential once it begins to be rolled out.
Christoforos intends to monitor developments with interest over the coming months and looks forwarding to trying out the UK’s new superfast network on his iPad at the first available opportunity.
