[3GScottishUser]

UK trials to start within the next few months

O2 has revealed plans to test long-term evolution (LTE) of 3G technology in the UK within the next few months.

The O2 field trials, announced by parent company Telefónica this week, will take place in the UK alongside similar trials in Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Brazil and Argentina.

The operator has yet to reveal where in the UK the test will take place and whether they will involve O2 customers.

O2 will be the first operator in the UK to carry out LTE trials. T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange are all expected to follow O2’s lead in the future.

Telefónica has a long list of initial technology supporters. These are Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, NEC, Nokia Siemens Networks and ZTE. The project is still open to other suppliers.

According to Telefónica, LTE will allow operators to offer customers peak mobile broadband speeds of up to 340Mbps 'in ideal conditions'. The new technology will also deliver more flexible use of spectrum and boost network capacity, the company said.

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/Mobile_Exec/O2_set_to_trial_LTE.aspx

[getti]

O2 just about have a 3G network in the UK and even then it keeps crashing. And now they expect to test a LTE network.

Better learn to walk before you can run O2

[Hands0n]

Yes, it would be nice of O2 to finish off deploying 3G/HSPA before getting all ambitious and doing another half-arsed job of LTE.

Really, don't they learn, ever?

[Ben]

I would like to know what frequency they're trying this at...