UK 4G Network Trial in Cornwall
Trials are due to start soon of a new 4G mobile phone network in parts of Cornwall that suffer from poor broadband connectivity. The trials will begin in September this year and will make use of phone frequencies recently freed up by the switch from analogue to digital television services in East Cornwall.
Clear Mobitel says the 4G network test aims to gather information on how to best roll out 4G services to other rural areas of the UK which traditionally have had patchy or non-existent mobile broadband coverage. The trial will involve a mobile phone running Google Android as well as USB wireless cards.
Clear Mobitel already has a license to provide 4G phone services to the island of Jersey.
UK 4G Mobile Phone Network Auction in 2011
The UK government has said the frequency spectrum auction for UK 4G mobile phone networks will happen within a year.
The 4G auction will cover an area of the 2.6GHz band frequency band as well as frequencies currently being used for analogue services which will become vacant after the digital TV switchover.
The UK 4G auction was originally due to happen in 2008.
UK 4G Mobile Phone Networks Face Delays
Mobile broadband analysts Ovum have warned that the rollout of 4G mobile phones services in the UK maybe delayed until at least 2013 because of the recent election and financial crisis.
Cross-party plans to hold a 4G auction around the 800MHz frequency band – which is currently still used for analogue TV networks – and the 2.6GHz frequency bands so that they can be used for 4G mobile phones were effectively put on hold before the UK general election and may not be a priority for the incoming UK government.
The could cause problems for previous stated aim of minimum broadband speeds of 2Mbps available to everyone in the UK by 2012.