Browsing speeds on some 4G handsets in some UK cities are set to accelerate as two UK operators switch on an improved version of the mobile technology.

Called 4G+ by EE and 4.5G by Vodafone, the technology can offer data rates of 150 megabits per second (Mbps).

In practice, those signing up to use the service should see speeds of up to 90 Mbps - much faster than standard 4G.

However, the technology is only usable on two handsets currently available in the UK.

Full Story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29832319

Shame O2 cant do this.... no 2600 spectrum lol although maybe they could use some of there 1800 ?

Will it say 4G+ / 4.5G on your phone?

More likely to display LTE-A

Very good news on improvement. But it would seem pointless to me having access to those type of speeds with the current data offerings from both networks at present.

I'm assuming that by the very nature these two are updating masts in these select areas this means that 4g roll out for the rest of the UK not on the upgrade list will just get pushed back further.

It does appear that were now getting a real location divide on mobile technology. As now some parts are 2G and others 4G. So much for the notion of bringing 3G to most of the UK.

From pictures I've seen, EE are showing it as 4G+ on phones.

I am all for new technologies. But let's get the basis first. Vodacrap and O poo still offer only GPRS where I live. Never mind the big areas let's try and get 3g to everyone first.

O2 and Vodafone's 4G coverage makes me laugh.

Travel from Alton to Winchester. In Alton there is 4G on Vodafone. Once you go out of Alton you're down to GPRS and you are until you get to Winchester. Arrive in Winchester, 4G on Vodafone.

Still waiting for 4G down here - apart from Plymouth overspill, there's nothing. At least EE/3 have good 3G coverage and performance

I know, it's nuts.
It's like Cornwall isn't even there to EE. You would think at least Truro would have something. Oh and that mast in the coach park of the Eden project. : )

Don't they only have 5Mhz of 1800 or something?
Aggregation has to be equal chunks I think so I guess they could do 5Mhz of 800 and 5Mhz or 1800 delivering whopping speeds of oh, I reckon about 30 meg. Hahahaha

For 95% of people just having 10 down and 10up on 4G is perfectly fine. The jump comes from less latancy.

I get 30mbps on 3G and 5-10 on 4G at home(crap 4G signal). Yes when its on 4G everything is much faster. Its like a 3G signal has to build up. If you watch a speed test it'll be straight at the speed on 4G but 3G starts off slow and slowly gets to 30Mbps. G.

This translates into faster browsing.


150mbps is useful for people doing large downloads and uploads and not just general useage.

The way you have put that makes it sound like that Vodafone have 4G in the south west but they have nothing except South Molton so a coverage of at least a hundred users.

Im not sure what the extra speeds offer on a mobile device, other than the "show off" factor of impressing people with speedtest.

Will it play TV content in better quality? no
Will the smaller apps on a phone that are 20MB come down faster? well yes, but it's already 10 seconds on standard 4G
Will browsing be faster, no

I can't see many consumer benefits right now over and above 4G, plus those 2 providers will no doubt charge an arm and a leg for it , and give you limited data packages so you can use it up in less than an hour even if you did download anything big.

Whilst I see where you're coming from and agree.

In an ideal world I'd want it everywhere just to see the minimum average speed on a mobile connection increase. Rather than having ~1Mbps average everywhere it'd be nice to consistently get over 10Mbps for example no matter where you are.

And yes, I know standard 4G can do that but I'm a huge fan of 4G development. DO agree about the data caps and pricing through. Thankfully O2 and Voda released a 20GB plan recently to match EE. Now for all of them to do more data on SIM Only plans.

I would say 20GB is the minimum package you want to be on if you want LTE-A, if you're really going to be using it enough to download large files to justify it's worth.

If it is just for ordinary day to day use then standard LTE seems to do the trick, it is more about how much I can use vs cost than speed for me, and I suspect a large portion of the general user base of any network. If you are just interested in very high speeds then EE or Vodafone is the way to go, definitely not Three or O2.

Out of interest, how much is the 20GB plan?

On EE it starts from £38.99pm (Upfront cost on certain phones)
On O2 it starts from £48pm (Upfront cost on certain phones)
On Voda it starts from £46.50pm (Upfront cost on certain phones)

Agreed once again, but being able to have fast LTE speeds, VoLTE and coverage everywhere would be nice for once.

I work in Aberdeen but live in Falkirk, so I stay in a B&B 4 night a week, while its internet is ok, when it's full it's really slow.

So decided to get an EE 4g+ osprey, 25Gb per month, on a rolling monthly contract at £30 per month.

While I get 4g from the office, normally around the 25mb speed 10mb up, I'm borderline 4g at the b&b, so it's drops to 3G+, but I get around 8mb speed, 1.5ish up.

The ping, normally around the 90 m/s

I do play the xbox one and ps4 but certainly not online games like BF4, the ping to too much.

It's great though

St. Austell is technically larger than Truro, maybe it should go first


Vodafone struggle to have 3G in the south west, asking for 4G is overdoing it

Their 3G site near me is relatively new but it still has 2G performance...

As for EE/3, I am guessing there is some MBNL holdup given that their coverage mirrors each other for Devon and Cornwall and neither are expanding - that is, Plymouth/Exeter/Torbay and thats it, while tiny places up country seem to be getting it all the time.

Lets not forget that LTE-A = more efficiency for the networks as they can deliver more data for less cost as they use less capacity. For those with Wi-Fi at home and at work and who commute by car LTE-A might not make a huge difference but why not have it if it's available on the device you have?

EE and Vodafone are playing their spectrum cards now and why not? They can quite legitimately claim to have the fastest networks operating in the UK and that differentiates them form the others. Tech savvy early adopters might well be swayed by the latest 4G technology when choosing which network to contract with.

What handsets in the UK support this?

Yeah, Aberdeen is yet to manage reliable indoor 4G coverage for EE. Bit disappointing really... it hasn't improved much since it was launched in December.

Been a big fan of Three for years and enjoying their 4G that was switched on in Torquay about a month ago, but notice speeds with them are dropping and I now get about 8-10Mbps on 4G.

Had a phone come on EE yesterday and with 20GB of allowance doing some tests was not going to really dent my data so i wanted to see what I can get.

42Mbps was the lowest up to 54Mbps on a Sony Z3 at lunchtime on a Saturday!

Hoping to get hands on a Note 4 when in London next week so I can check out 4G+ as it looks really great to have.

Really looks like the spectrum allocations are coming into play now to make a difference

EE has much more spectrum to use for double speed and started their rollout 18 months before Three, so have more base stations deployed, plus their investment has been funded by I think £2BN, which is considerably more than Three, but of course you pay for that with higher prices.

I do have to ask what you need more then 10Mb/s on your phone for though. I know I am perfectly happy with 10Mb/s and the cost vs not having a fixed allowance.