Mobile network provider O2 is to trial the so-called Long Term Evolution technology next year, a technology which many people believe can deliver mobile Internet broadband speeds of up to 340 Mb per second, over 100 times greater than the average UK broadband speed.
Long Term Evolution technology is a 4G network technology which many people believe will push mobile broadband to the masses and finally allow the service to break into the main market. O2 will be testing the technology in the UK, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic and Argentina and there are great hopes that this could put the company head and shoulders above many competitors.
While it has taken some time, we are starting see significant movement in mobile broadband speeds in the UK and around the world. The sector has been dogged by issues regarding reliability and advertised broadband speeds, with many consumers experiencing a very different service to those advertised in the mass media.
Even though O2 will not be alone in testing the new broadband technology there are concerns in some quarters that the additional investment required to move forward in the mobile broadband sector could see some of the smaller players in the UK market fall by the wayside. Less competition in the market will reduce pricing pressure and ultimately increase the cost of mobile broadband in the UK.