I thought I'd start a thread to discuss 4G LTE in the UK.

As I understand it there will be 2 different frequency bands up for auction 800KHz and 2.6GHz. These are totally different, 1 is up near the wifi type spectrum and the other is very low on the band.

The higher frequencies are to relieve congestion in urban areas and the lower to provide widespread rural coverage. Speeds should be up to 30Mbps, but all this won't happen until 2014 at the earliest.

Do you think all existing operators will go into the 4G market, do you think some will lose out. Maybe some new players?

Do you think all operators will get a mix of both frequencies or that some will only have 1 or the other?

Will roaming be allowed between any networks or frequencies like what we see today?

What new technologies could this support such as a multicast radio system that could do a better job than DAB?

Interesting times ahead.

FYI France has beaten us, regulator Arcep has published the results of the awards procedure for licences to use the 2.6 GHz frequency band that raised a total sum of €936 million for the French state.

Arcep said these frequencies are to be used for the deployment of ultra high-speed mobile networks such as LTE, “whose maximum data rate must be at least 60 Mbps, and so significantly faster than currently available 3G connections”.

Lets all emmigrate to France then!

They'd need to sort 3G out first, Its a rarity round these parts

LTE is theoretically capable of 100mb download, I've seen it in practise at 90mb on a test cell going through high load tests.

I wonder if OFCOM will have the balls to impose a great minimum speed like the French have..

That's the thing due to the frequencies that 4G will use it should gave much more wide area coverage.

It's he 800Mhz frequency range that offers the best coverage and most robust service within buildings.

Everything will depend on how much the operators are prepared to bid for the frequency blocks available. The most valuable ones will be in the 800Mhz range and those might attract new entrants who want to market LTE as an alternative to fixed line broadband. BT or Virgin Media could be contenders as well as the mobile operators.

The results of Italy's 4G spectrum auction have been announced and there have been some surprises as 3 Italia did not bid enough to gain any 800Mhz spectrum.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-...29-710551.html

Oh..... theres already one compnay building a new LTE Network to cover cities and rural areas. It will be sold as a wholesale product so any operator can offer services using it. The company backing this new LTE Network is PCCW Hong Kong's largest telecoms group. It already owns a significant amount of suitable specturm in the 3.5 & 3.6Ghz ranges.

More info at: http://www.telegeography.com/product...12-lte-launch/

And

http://www.ukbroadband.com/

Hopefully, and hopefully a coverage requirement by a set date like before. I wish they would also take into account those who didn't fulfil their 3G requirements within the required time-scale in issuing the next generation licences.

Wave, want to hear something interesting?

http://www.ukbroadband.com/ is a wholly owned subsidiary of PCCW Limited.

Li Ka-shing is head of PCCW, and chairman of Hutchison Whampoa, owners of Three UK.

Totally inaccurate. The head (CEO) of PCCW is Richard Li who is the son of Li Ka Shing but PCCW is a direct compeditor to Hutchison Whampoa in Hong Kong and beyond. They are two entirely diffrent companies and nowhere in Richard's official biography is there any mention of any interest in Hutchison Whampoa. (Probably because HTIL [Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd] has licences in Hong Kong as does PCCW).

http://www.richardli.com/bio.html

Interestingly both PCCW and Hutchison Whampoa are building a jointly owned and managed 4G network in Hong Kong to compete with China Mobile and Telstra. It is noteworthy that PCCW and Hutchison are referred to as 'rivals' in associated press reports.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...work-plan.html

Weathly businesspeople often help their offspring to establish new businesses but they don't always remain associated with their parents interests. Richard Li assumed control of PCCW which is a public compnay after success establishing Star TV which he sold to News Corporation.

Very linked though same family and have worked together in Hong Kong to deliver 4G. I would have thought they would rather work together in the UK, than not. It's in their mutual interest.

Its not really though as they are compeditors just like 02 and Vodafone are who share sites and maintenance now. Both PCCW and Hutchison Whampoa are public companies that just happen to be controlled by two members of the same family. Richard Li is a very successful businessman in his own right and there is little evidence of any previous collaboration between PCCW and Hutchison Whampoa.

It was clearly innacurate to suggest Li Ka Shing was boss of PCCW and is total speculation to suggest that Richard Li and his father might collaborate in telecoms markets anywhere else.

Yes ok we get your point, no need to repeat yourself. In my opinion seeing as they have worked together in the past I think they would work together again. I would say businesses which are owned or controlled by the same family although likely to have friendly rivalry are actually likely to come together (and have done so in other parts of the world this year).

Of course its speculation, you don't have to state the obvious. Hardly like O2 and Vodafone either is it now really.

Anyway, it's all part of an interesting debate. I'm not really interested in this line so much as general 4G deployment and discussion.

I bet.

Anyway the point is that PCCW and HTIL have to be independent as together they would be a virtual monopoly in the Hong Kong market. Hong Kong regulators can't stop Li Ka Shing's son running a business but I am sure they keep a very close eye on any collaboration between the two. Their 4G sharing is only allowable because there are two other licence holders for the technology in the local market.

So just to clarify. UK Broadband is owned by PCCW Ltd which is an independent regional telco which other than a family connection on the board has been nothing but a compeditor to Hutchison Whampoa. UK Broadband will be selling services to any telco that wants to buy it and their coverage using LTE could offer rural areas and cities a taste of high speed wireless years before the mobile ops or others get their hands on the 800 and 2600Mhz bandwidth up for auction next year..... maybe!

BTW what a bargain Richard Li's PCCW got when they bought the UK bandwidth that UK Broadband now use for LTE. Shrewd move.

Anyway to put a spoiler on the whole thing from a consumer LTE point of view, apparently there are no consumer handsets capable of 3480MHz and 3580MHz and no plans to make any according to The Register.

They also say 3.4GHz won't penetrate walls, or anything else, and so is well suited for line-of-site distribution to fixed locations and ideal for backhaul connections, which is what it's likely to be sold to networks for.

That all comes from http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/26/swidon_lte/