Mobile Broadband

4G Mobile Broadband

The next stage of mobile broadband - known as 4G, or fourth generation - has the potential to deliver superfast speeds and an always-on connection. But when will 4G hit the UK?

Current mobile broadband speeds

At present, mobile broadband offers speeds of up to 14.4Mb on Vodafone Broadband's (www.Vodafone.co.uk) network. However, this is a theoretical maximum that’s only available in major cities. Even when connected to this faster network, Vodafone estimates that users would only receive an actual speed of between 1Mb and 4Mb.

The current 3G networks are already being strained by the millions of customers that access the internet using a mobile broadband dongle or mobile phone and average actual download speeds are only around 1Mb.

The benefits of 4G mobile broadband

There are two types of next generation mobile broadband being developed for widespread, superfast internet access. At the start of 2010, Ericsson showcased superfast HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), basically using very similar technology to today’s 3G networks. However, this new, next generation HSPA offers speeds of up to 84Mb - and 3 Mobile Broadband (www.Three.co.uk) announced in January 2010 that it would be using Ericsson to deliver its 4G mobile broadband across Scandinavia in 2011.

The second technology moving mobile broadband forward is known as Long Term Evolution (LTE), which offers even faster speeds. Using LTE, O2 Mobile Broadband (www.O2.co.uk) trialled speeds of 150Mb at the end of 2009. However, as with all broadband connections, a variety of factors affect download speeds and the technology is estimated to deliver actual speeds of between 15Mb and 30Mb. When O2 tested it again in a real-world environment, using a multi-player PlayStation 3 game online, it achieved actual speeds of around 8Mb.

Benefits of 4G mobile broadband

It’s not just download speeds that will improve with the next generation of mobile broadband connections; 4G would also eliminate the issue of low download allowances. LTE technology is far more efficient than the 3G mobile broadband networks currently in place in the UK, meaning that networks wouldn’t become clogged up with users as millions of people sign up and log on.

At the moment, transferring data over 3G is still quite expensive, and providers offer tariffs ranging from 500MB a month on Orange Mobile Broadband's (www.Orange.co.uk) cheapest monthly tariff, to 15GB from 3. Moving up to a 4G network would change all that.

4G technologies are moving forward all the time, but it is expected to offer:

• Speeds of 15Mb to 30Mb and a maximum of over 100Mb
Far higher download allowances
• The potential for an always-on mobile broadband connection
• Greater efficiency
• Seamless roaming when using your mobile broadband connection abroad
• The ability to connect when travelling at high speeds in a car or on a train

When will 4G hit the UK?

Despite the benefits of 4G, the question of when it will hit the UK is still unanswered.

The Digital Britain report suggested that parts of the spectrum could be handed over for 4G use in order to bring mobile broadband to more people who cannot currently get 2Mb broadband speeds from a fixed-line connection, but that has been delayed. Also, mobile broadband providers paid billions of pounds for the right to use the 3G networks, and are still trying to recoup those costs.

However, telecoms companies in Sweden and Norway recently announced plans for the first commercial 4G networks in Europe to go live in 2010, and there are talks of developing 4G networks in Ireland and Spain.

American broadband provider Verizon is also set to roll out LTE systems in the States in 2010.

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