O2 to test run 4G network in London

The trial run of 4G network in London is to take place today, thanks to the service provider ‘O2’.

The nine month trial will provide hundreds of consumers with the benefit of 4G network access. Almost 40 square kilometers of area will be covered with the new technology by the next summer. The network will cater important areas of London including Canary Wharf, Soho, Westminster, South Bank, Kings Cross etc.

According to O2, a 500 MB file can be downloaded in less than a minute in the case of 4G, as against more than 5 minutes in the case of 3G.

With the trial 4G network, the users can avail high speed LAN, high definition (HD) movies and music streaming. They can access social networks and play online games through mobile.

Ronan Dune of O2 emphasized the dedication and commitment of the company in providing the advanced facility for the people of the country. The company will provide ‘Samsung B3730’ dongles to the users during the trial at speeds of about 100 Mbps. They will also be provided with 4G wireless hotspots and handsets. More than 1000 users will participate in the trial.

Reputed business concerns like ‘John Lewis’, small and medium enterprises, music lovers etc will take part in the trial through the O2 arena.

Performance data, feed back from the users etc will be gathered during the trial. O2’s
plans for future may mainly depend on these as well as the 4G spectrum auction likely to take place next year.

02 will utilize 2.6 GHz spectrum band with the permission of Ofcom. It supports 20 MHz of RF bandwidth for LTE with which 4G speeds of up to 150 Mbps can be attained.

Dunne remarked that O2 gained significant experience in mobile network during the last three years. The current 4G trial will enable the company to advance further to provide excellent network for future. The company is eagerly awaiting the 4G spectrum auction, in which it will take part.

Incidentally, Nokia Siemens Networks are supplying the equipment for Radio and Core network elements for 4G trial network of ‘Telefonica UK’. Nokia Siemens Networks, NEC and Cambridge Broadband Networks Ltd are supplying Microwave Radio Equipment for the backhaul of 4G trial network.