The Hot Spot Bot

4G Trials Comes to UK

The race for the next generation of mobile broadband has just become hotter with Motorola conducting trials for the Long Term Evolution technology in the UK.

Long Term Evolution or LTE, which along with WiMax is a major contender for mobile broadband’s next generation standards can possibly deliver speeds up to hundreds of gigabits per second. This is a huge jump from current standards and even other trials such as Vodafone’s HSPA+. The HSPA+ can deliver speeds up to 16 Mb, and is looking more and more likely to be the next realistic development in mobile broadband service.

Motorola’s trial is the first time LTE has been tested in UK, although other countries have seen these trials before. According to the company’s senior VP, Joe Cozzolino, in order to stay in touch with the demands of the consumer who is getting used to a highly personalized and rich content on the Internet, and to reduce the cost per bit for operators, 4G is fast becoming a necessity.

The company’s plans may face some hurdles though. Firstly, the spectrum being used in the trial - 2.6 GHz - is set for auction only at the end of this year. This setback, though, may be a minor one as the chance of the technology going operational before that time is quite slim. The second and a much more significant hurdle is that the debate about which standard is to be adopted for the next generation of mobile broadband is still raging, with WiMax being a major contender.

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