4g on its way!

[Markg]

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/46974/three-buying-part-of-everything-everywhere-4g-spectrum

What do you think? Will you be signing up for 4g? How much do you feel you would pay on top of your current contract?

 

[adi19956]

I think not seeing as it won't come into play until Sept 2013.
I'll probably switch to Everything Everywhere pretty soon seeing as I'm on 1 month rolling SIM only (trust me it's cheaper).
I wonder if they'll do a big launch and increase prices and bring in new phones or possibly just shove it in with Data prices. 3 has the fastest network at the moment I believe and prices never went up for increases in speeds

 

[Markg]

Ahh yes, I saw that after I'd posted. Looks like EE will be hanging on to their head start after all. Shame as I'm happy with Three and unlikely to change. They have said on their Twitter feed that they're going 4g but can't release any details yet, no info on when they are announcing their plans either.

 

[adi19956]

Probably not for quite a while. If they announce immediately that it's not for another year then people will switch, but if they hold off the announcement then more people will stay on.
I'm not sure how much most people care about 4G

 

[!on]

I won't be binning a good phone for it.

Had high hopes of the old analogue TV signal being used for WiMax. Seems not. So this is gonna be only in the cities (to begin with)? If that's the case, I can just go in 'spoons & use proper WiFi .

It's same old, same old with UK operators, they want to provide the most basic of coverage, just enough to sell new phones. We still can't get decent 3g in the countryside, for like, on the train with the laptop.
What's needed is to beef up the * data * network in between the cities. They seem to forget that our mobile devices are being used while on the move.

 

[adi19956]

I won't be binning a good phone for it.

Had high hopes of the old analogue TV signal being used for WiMax. Seems not. So this is gonna be only in the cities (to begin with)? If that's the case, I can just go in 'spoons & use proper WiFi .

It's same old, same old with UK operators, they want to provide the most basic of coverage, just enough to sell new phones. We still can't get decent 3g in the countryside, for like, on the train with the laptop.
What's needed is to beef up the * data * network in between the cities. They seem to forget that our mobile devices are being used while on the move.

For other networks other than EE, it is the old analogue TV spectrum being used. EE was allowed to use some of their other spectrum to make a 4G network.
LTE has a larger range than WiMAX so you'll be able to use 4G in places other than cities (and the gov't is backing this to meet it's super fast broadband targets).
Unlike 3G technologies, LTE stays the same size when lots of people are using it, 3G coverage used to shrink when this happened, that should mean a more consistent coverage like we get with 2G.

As for networks on the move on trains, Cross Country trains are rolling out WiFi networks on their trains, but I haven't used them because you have to pay.


Unfortunately whilst the gov't is trying to back 4G networks in places such as Sussex, there are arguments going on as to whether it's against EU laws.