Mobile broadband has become an established option for many internet users in the UK over the last few years and prices have fallen as the uptake has increased. Millions of people have been accessing forms of mobile broadband on their phones for some time, but its emergence as a standalone product to be used by laptop and PC owners has occurred more recently. Experts believe that over the next four years the usage levels of mobile broadband will soar, with over six million UK consumers expected to sign up to a mobile broadband deal as the governments’ Digital Britain initiative pushes for its plans to bring 2Mbps broadband into every home in the country.
Current mobile broadband connections use 3G networking in conjunction with USB modems which can be plugged into virtually any PC. The 3G coverage levels vary between providers, but many now boast coverage for upwards of 90 per cent of the population. However, 3G is coming to the end of its lifespan and 4G, or the fourth generation of mobile networking technology, is about to take centre stage.
4G is an umbrella term that different groups apply to slightly different technologies, but it basically refers to the first type of mobile broadband connection that will really be able to match up to fixed line broadband in terms of speed and reliability. In the future 4G could be used to provide mobile broadband connections with download speeds of up to 1Gbps, which is about 1000 times faster than the real life averages that current mobile broadband customers can access. In the interim, LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile broadband networks will be set up to provide download speeds of about 100Mbps.
4G mobile broadband will probably be accessed in a very similar way to current 3G services, with users either requiring a USB modem to get online, or opting for a laptop or PC that already comes with a 4G modem built in. There is still some industry wrangling required before the roll-out of various 4G mobile broadband technologies can be completed, including the decision over which networks can use which portions of the 4G signal spectrum to provide their services. Regulatory bodies around the world are beginning to instigate the process which will see this spectrum auctioned off to the highest bigger and it is expected to generate billions of pounds for governments.
In the UK mobile broadband provider O2 has already trialled its LTE network technology over the area surrounding its national headquarters in Slough. The highest download speed it managed during the trial, which took place at the end of 2009, was 150Mbps and O2 looks to be one of the key providers that is pushing for the emergence of 4G and LTE mobile broadband in the future. It has an interest in providing high speed network connectivity because it was the first network to offer the iPhone 3G in the UK and it will hope to bring smartphone and mobile broadband customers the best mobile internet connections before anyone else.