4G launch: what to expect

Everything Everywhere, owner of T-Mobile and Orange, has been given permission to reuse its existing 

mobile phone spectrum for new, faster 4G networks. In trials for rival operator O2, users got download speeds of up to 100MBPS, and American users routinely report 20MBPS download speeds in commercial deployments. Existing 3G mobile networks struggle to deliver 5MBPS.

Will you buy a 4G phone? (Poll Closed)

Yes - but only when I can choose what network it's on 50.65%  (2,936 votes) 

 

Yes - and I'll switch to whoever offers it first 21.34%  (1,237 votes) 

 

Not if I can't get the handset I want 14.71%  (853 votes) 

 

No - download speeds are fast enough for me 13.3%  (771 votes) 

 

 

Total Votes: 5,797

 

Everything Everywhere will launch a new brand, purely to deliver 4G services and related products. Sources say its name will be every bit as outlandish at its parent company, but the service announced will go far beyond initial expectations.

While previous speculation had suggested that a very limited area of the UK would be covered for mobile broadband, in fact tomorrow’s announcements, at London’s Science Museum, are now expected to include details of mobile phones and broadband dongles. The coverage area is set to be “widespread” within a year and significant in major cities by the end of 2012, sources said.

The first devices are likely to include Nokia’s new Lumia 920, and could also include Apple’s new iPhone 5. Details of which radio frequencies the new iPhone uses will be crucial however, as Everything Everywhere only has access to spectrum that broadcasts on 1800MHz.