UK Mobile Review » O2

O2 Begins Fast 3G Access in the UK

Dani — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:05:45 +0000

The 4G spectrum is still some way in the distance for the UK with the new 4G spectrum not due until 2012.

However, O2 is not to be held back and has begun the roll out of DC_HSPA. DC_HSPA (dal-cell high-speed packet access) is not 4G but appears to be an improvement over the present 3G connectivity. The new service may see download speeds double in some areas.

O2 spokeman had this to say: ‘major UK cities’ will be the first to benefit from the roll out, with London, Manchester and Birmingham being the likely candidates.

To-date the new iPad and Nokia European Lumia 900 supports DC-HSPA.

Three, and the Everything Everywhere collaboration between Orange and T-Mobile aims to join the DC_HSPA roll our later this year. Vodafone as yet have no plans for the service.

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O2 Begins Fast 3G Access in the UK originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 17, 2012.

O2 hands Priority Moments over to customers

Nirave — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:01:00 +0000

O2 is changing their Priority Moments rewards scheme as it looks to hand partial control over to their customers. The latest update to the scheme finds the network asking customers for feedback on the companies they’d like special offers from.

Previously, O2 customers had to “make do” with offers from companies selected by O2 but now, O2′s customers can suggest brands by tweeting the company using the hash tag #o2prioritymoments or posting on the O2 Facebook page. O2 will take the suggestions and then approach the companies most popular with customers.

Priority Moments is available to download from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store and can also be accessed from the company’s WAP-enabled mobile website. The app is also available on RIM’s BlackBerry devices and all you need to access the app is text ‘MOMENTS’ to 2020.

What’s your thoughts on O2′s new Priority Moments? Has the app saved you money? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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O2 hands Priority Moments over to customers originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 15, 2012.

Huawei Ascend Y100, G7105 launched as O2 exclusives

Nirave — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:29:37 +0000

Huawei is back in the UK with two further entry-level smartphones, the Ascend Y100 and the G7105, which will both launch as exclusive to network operator O2.

Whilst not as good as the Huawei Ascend G300, which is exclusive to Vodafone, the two devices reaffirm the Chinese company’s commitment to the low-end market whilst their flagship Ascend D-Quad smartphone, which is set to launch in the UK later this year, will target the high-end market for the company.

The Huawei Ascend Y100 features a 2.8 inch touchscreen display with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a 2 megapixel camera, which Huawei say supports video recording at 30 frames per second, the only device in this price range to do so. The Ascend Y100 will launch on June 1st for £79.99 on PAYG or free from £10 per month on pay monthly contracts.

The Huawei G7105 takes the company back to their feature phone roots, offering very little other than a 2.8 inch LCD display and 1.3 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom. The G7105 does not feature WiFi connectivity, but ships with Opera Mini, which should reduce the data usage whilst speeding up page load times. The G7105 is available now for £39.99 in white.

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Huawei Ascend Y100, G7105 launched as O2 exclusives originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 14, 2012.

O2 Launches Roaming Plan for Europe Following Price Cap

Dani — Sat, 12 May 2012 18:00:03 +0000

A mere matter of days after the EU ruling to cap roaming costs, O2 has announced new plans for its roaming network.

O2 will offer travellers 25MB of date for a cost of £1.99. The new package O2 Travel will launch the day when EU roaming caps come into force. It would perhaps be more graceful for them to bring in the offer now as a sign of good will.

O2 had this to say:

O2 marketing and consumer director Sally Cowdry (pictured) said: “We know people want to able to relax and enjoy their holidays without worrying about complicated phone charges.

“With simple charges and a generous 25MB data bundle, O2 Travel provides a great way for our customers to keep in touch and share their holiday moments with family and friends without having to worry about the costs.”

O2 said the decision to offer O2 Travel was influenced by customer research which found that 60 per cent of UK citizens used mobile data while travelling abroad and that mobile data usage while on holiday is doubling each year

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O2 Launches Roaming Plan for Europe Following Price Cap originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 12, 2012.

Race to unlimited continues

Nirave — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:01:00 +0000

It looks like the unlimited battle is set to continue as O2′s On and On tariff and T-Mobile Full Monty go head to head with reported plans from Orange as well as Tesco Mobile.

Both the Full Monty and On and On feature unlimited calling and texting while the former also offers unlimited data and Three’s One Plan offers almost unlimited (2000) but the reported plan will offer truly unlimited.

There’s no news about potential release dates but should the plans become reality, unlimited usage will be the next “thing” that companies use to attract new customers and retain existing ones.

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Race to unlimited continues originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 11, 2012.

Mobile Phone Roaming Charges to Drop

Dani — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:03:52 +0000

The cost of making and receiving calls overseas are set to drop from July 2012.

The European Union have set a cap on prices for roaming in the EU. This will be a welcome to those mobile phone users who have been ripped-off by the atrocious network charges that exist for roaming overseas.

Charged from July are: 24p minute to mae a call, 7p minute to receive a call and 8p to send a SMS message and 58p for data usage. The networks will certainly not like this when some charge up to and over a £1 for incoming calls and a text message can cost up to 36p or more depending on where you are in the world.

Unfortunately there is no such cap for world-wide roaming.

It is now left down to the networks to see how they will attempt to recoup the costs and of course, attempts will be made, do not be left in doubt about that.

T-Mobile and Orange have already increased charges at the beginning of 2012. It remains to be seen whether other networks will increase charges following this news.

“EU rapporteur and MEP Angelika Niebler said: “Parliament has succeeded in its call for cheaper roaming prices for consumers, and in particular for data roaming.

“In addition, from July 2014, consumers will be able to choose an operator other than their national operator for roaming services. The new rules will also help to open up the market to new entrants and so increase competition.”

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Mobile Phone Roaming Charges to Drop originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 11, 2012.

EU Mobile Roaming cap coming in July

Nirave — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:05:24 +0000

Today the European Union announced plans by the European parliament to cap the cost of mobile roaming. The cap will come into effect from July. The new rate sees the cost of calls limited to just 24p per minute whilst texts will cost 7p and data roaming will cost 58p per megabyte. At present, the cost of data roaming can be up to £1 per MB, but some networks have data bundles available, such as Vodafone Data Traveller.

The EU has introduced the new rates as part of a long term plan to bring the cost of EU roaming to similar levels as “home” network costs and the latest reduction in rate will actually benefit customers who roam around Europe.

However, networks rely on roaming revenue and as the cost of EU roaming decreases, we’re likely to see the cost of non-EU roaming rise drastically to offset the lost revenue. Other possibilities include networks increasing the cost of UK usage to offset the lost revenue.

It’s unclear whether any of the networks have launched appeals or referendums to oppose the cap, but either way, it’s become EU law so should be in place from July.

Via

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EU Mobile Roaming cap coming in July originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 10, 2012.

BlackBerry Curve 9320 Available on O2 UK and T-Mobile UK

Dani — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:01:06 +0000

Several of the UK networks have confirmed that they will be stocking the new BlackBerry Curve 8320.

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 is available for free on pay monthly tariffs and £149.99 on pay as you go on the o2 network. www.02.co.uk

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 is also available on t-mobile free on tariffs from £15.50 and £149.99 on pay as you go. www.t-mobile.co.uk

Check our our earlier announcement on the BlackBerry Curve 9320.

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BlackBerry Curve 9320 Available on O2 UK and T-Mobile UK originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 9, 2012.

O2 Joins with Costa to Offer Free WiFi

Dani — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:51:05 +0000

Next time you go to pick up your favourite coffee from Costa you will also pick up a free 30 minutes of WiFi on O2.

O2 in partnership with Costa Coffee is to offer Costa customers free internet. The deal is for unlimited Wi-Fi and you will be allocated 30 minutes free. The Olympics are not too far away in early summer and this would be an ideal way to grab a cup of coffee and get updated on your latest sports. The Costa offer will involved in 835 Costa Coffee shops across the UK.

O2 said the deal shows its commitment to working closely with the retail industry. The operator is in the process of deploying 3,000 hotspots in the UK, and is working with retailers on services such as Priority Moments and the recently launched O2 Wallet.

O2 Wi-Fi managing director Gavin Franks said: “Coffee shops are seen as the traditional heartland for public access wifi and Costa is the largest coffee chain in the UK.

“We have shown how our innovative models works in new contexts such as London Metro wifi and this deal shows that it also works in more traditional contexts.”

Costa UK marketing director Kevin Hydes said: “As people spend around half an hour in our stores, we are delighted to be partnering with O2 and providing our customers with 30minutes of free WiFi.

“This is the latest in a series of new partnerships with industry and sector leading brands for O2 Wifi. In 2012, O2 Wifi has already announced an additional 3,000 UK hotspots which are currently being deployed across the UK.”

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O2 Joins with Costa to Offer Free WiFi originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 5, 2012.

Samsung Galaxy S3 network info round-up

Nirave — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:38:07 +0000

Officially unveiled yesterday evening by Samsung in London, the Galaxy S3 is this year’s hottest smartphone and looks set to go head to head with the Apple iPhone 5. We’ve already heard that O2 and Vodafone are getting the device, and now the three remaining major UK networks have all indicated they are getting the device.

Samsung Galaxy S3 hands on

Featuring a 4.8 inch 720p Super AMOLED HD display and a quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos CPU, the Galaxy S3 comes equipped with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and several exclusive features such as S-Voice (Samsung’s answer to Siri), S-Beam (file transfer through NFC) and a display that sleeps when you do and wakes when you’re using it. (See all the specs here.)

Orange UK, T-Mobile UK and Three UK are all expected to get release the device on or around May 30th, and Three have unveiled a very competitive contract plan for the Galaxy S3. The smartphone will be available free on a £34 per month two-year contract on Three’s “The One Plan” which gives you 2000 UK minutes, 5000 texts, 5000 ’3-to-3′ minutes and All You Can Eat data every month.

Three’s Galaxy S3 offer is available to pre-order is available here, whilst Orange and T-Mobile have not put up info on their website as yet. Customers wanting the Galaxy S3 on O2 can be kept up to date by texting Samsung to 2020 whilst Vodafone customers need to register their interest here.

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Samsung Galaxy S3 network info round-up originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 4, 2012.

Announcing the Samsung Galaxy S III – Designed for Humans Commercial

Dani — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:29:48 +0000

Samsung announced their newest and long awaited device the Samsung Galaxy S III today. The 4.8 in display features a super AMOLED display and will be available in the Olympic colours of blue and white.

To open up the first views to their new device, Samsung has created the following commercial. I love these sorts of advertisements that draw you into what the device is trying to achieve. Pre-orders opens on Carphone Warehouse today with other networks following soon.

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Announcing the Samsung Galaxy S III – Designed for Humans Commercial originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 3, 2012.

O2 Confirms ‘We Won’t be’ Stocking Nokia 808 Pureview

Dani — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:48:55 +0000

O2 has become the first network to confirm that it will not be stocking Nokia’s newest device. The Nokia 808 PureView is capturing hearts and minds with its new PureView camera technology.

Nokia has announced today that its newest smartphone will come to the market this month (May). India and Russia will be the first countries to receive the PureView before markets are opened globally.

The tweet this morning to O2, asked if they would be stocking the Nokia 808 PureView.

Nokia’s newest smartphone will feature a 41 megapixel sensor capable of 38 megapixel images. The device will run on Nokia’s original symbian smartphone platform.

Nokia has been working with Microsoft over the last 12 months and have introduced new Windows Phone to their Lumia range including the Nokia Lumia 800, 900, 710 and 610.

The three other big networks have not yet made a decision on whether they will be stocking the 808 PureView but if you are on the o2 network or had hoped to get the Nokia 808 PureView on contract, an upgrade or payg, it looks like this will not be happening for you at O2.

However, things can change quickly overnight and if the PureView becomes a very popular device, we are sure that O2 will need to look again at their sales options.

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O2 Confirms ‘We Won’t be’ Stocking Nokia 808 Pureview originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on May 2, 2012.

HTC One V now available from O2 and Vodafone

Nirave — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:01:52 +0000

The third inaugural member of HTC’s One Series, the low-cost HTC One V is now available to buy from both O2 and Vodafone.

The One V will cost you £21.50/m with O2, which gives you 200 minutes, Unlimited texts and mobile data whilst with Vodafone, the device costs £26/m for 300 minutes. Unlimited texts and 500mb mobile data per month.

Vodafone’s offering also comes with three months unlimited data as part of their Data Test Drive as well as 1gb BTOpenzone WiFi access per month included in the monthly cost.

Featuring a 3.7inch display and single-core 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, the One V brings Android Ice Cream Sandwich to the low-price market and also features HTC Sense UI alongside Beats Audio integration promising better quality photos and amazing sound.

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HTC One V now available from O2 and Vodafone originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 28, 2012.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Commitment

Dani — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:53:29 +0000

The recent hive of activity surround the Samsung Galaxy S III continues to build.

The Samsung Galaxy S III’s imminent debut will take place on 3 May and everyone who is anyone aims to be part of the party.

Carphone Warehouse has announced today, that it too, will be joining the big two, O2 and Vodafone in the sales of Samsung’s newest device.

Never has such activity surround a phone been as anticipated, outside that of the iPhone. We, here, at UK Mobile Review think this may be because it is likely to be the Official Phone for the Olympics. The Olympics is headed for London in the Summer and it is a very big event for the country as a whole. The last thing you are going to want to be known for, is The Shop where you cannot buy an Olympic phone. Or alternatively, if there is going to be an Olympic phone, you, as the high street phone dealer, who has made your name as an independent retailer, will of course, want to be selling a popular phone for the season.

Little is known about the Samsung Device, with much of what we have heard so far being speculation about its processor and display. Read more about it here. However, Samsung’s Galaxy S II is a popular smartphone and we have no doubt that a Galaxy S III will follow in its footsteps.

This year in the UK, we celebrate both the Olympics and the Queens Diamond Jubilee. There is no news as yet whether there will be a Offiicial Diamond Jubilee Phone for the Queen’s celebrations.

Read more about the Samsung Galaxy S III in our dedicated portal. A round-up of all the specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S III has been compiled for ease of reference.

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Samsung Galaxy S3 Commitment originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 28, 2012.

Samsung’s Next Galaxy headed to O2

Nirave — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:30:32 +0000

Following on from Vodafone, UK network O2 have also confirmed they will be stocking the as yet unannounced Next Galaxy device from Samsung. The “Next Galaxy” was recently the subject of some very good marketing by Samsung, with the company releasing a teaser video and promising to reveal all very soon

O2 posted this tweet confirming that Samsung’s upcoming flagship, which is expected to be called the Galaxy S3 and be revealed on May 3rd, is heading to the network. You can see all the specs in our roundup here.

More info on this when we get it and remember to check back on May 3rd as we’ll bring you all the news as it breaks.

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Samsung’s Next Galaxy headed to O2 originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 25, 2012.

Nokia Lumia 800, Lumia 710 flash sale now on

Nirave — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:15:50 +0000

Here’s yet another flash sale from O2, with the latest one bringing Nokia’s two current Windows Phone devices to more people at a lower price.

The Nokia Lumia 800 is available for free on a two year contact starting from £21.50/m with 200minutes, 250 extra O2 to O2 minutes, Unlimited texts and 250mb mobile data per month.

The Nokia Lumia 710 is also on sale, this time costing only £13.50/m and offering 50 minutes, 250 texts and 100mb mobile data pet month.

Head over to an O2 store or their website to purchase now but hurry as the sale ends on 26th April, which is just two days away.

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Nokia Lumia 800, Lumia 710 flash sale now on originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 24, 2012.

HTC One X vs One S; heavy use battery life comparison

Nirave — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:14:57 +0000

So on Sunday, I went to Old Trafford to see Manchester United take on Everton. For the whole day, the only devices I was using (aside from an iPad to stream/playback videos and content) was HTC’s new One Series; I had both the One X and the One S with me.

Up until that day, the One X had really struggled with battery life whilst the One S was the surefire winner and so I was glad I had both with me. To begin with, the day kicked off at 6:30am and both devices left the house on 100%. Things were okay on both devices up until around 8:10am when my train from Euston left the station and started throughout the countryside towards Manchester.

Now during the journey, reception constantly cut out and then came back only to disappear again. Instead of switching to 2G-only mode, I left both devices on with 2G/3G network to see whether they could cut it. Unfortunately, neither did in the end with both dying out 12-14 hours after being taken off charge.

I noticed pretty quickly that the battery was not holding at all; by the time I got up to Manchester, the One X was sitting on 61% (having taken some photos) whilst the One S was sitting at 59%. That’s something to be aware of; it seems the One X handles fluctuating network coverage much better than the One S.

From Manchester Piccadilly train station, it was onto the Manchester MetroLink tram to Old Trafford. During the journey again, I was using the One X to shoot some photos and really test out its ability to shoot pictures whilst moving. I’ll be bringing you those photos later today in a separate article.

At Old Trafford itself, network coverage changed. Gone was the lack of reception, instead being replaced by reception yet the inability to make a phone call or send a tweet (which I’m sure was down to the 75,000 odd people being in that location at the same time). My theory regarding there being too many people connected to a cell site simultaneously is also backed up by other people I was with; between us, all 5 major networks were being used and all of them had a problem being able to connect in any way.

During the match itself, out came both the One X and the One S to shoot some photos and some videos. Whilst those will feature later today, I can safely say I am seriously unimpressed with the One Series’ zoom capabilities; HTC might as well not have bothered including zoom of any sort as it leaves all the photos and videos really pixelated even if using just a tiny amount of zoom.

After the match, it was more photos and then back on the train for a similar journey home to London; network coverage was incredibly patchy throughout the countryside and for quite a long period there was no coverage at all.

HTC One S battery life at 7:14pm

By the time I got back to UKMR HQ, it was gone 7pm and here’s how both devices ended up. HTC’s One X ended up on 6% whilst the One S ended up on just 2% battery life. By way of comparison, yesterday the One S ended the day on around 45% having been in one location for about 16 hours.

HTC One X battery life at 7:14pm

So the moral of this very long article is this; if you live in a patchy reception area, you could face issues with either device’s battery life. They are both good for day to day (the One S is definitely better) but if network coverage is flittering in and out then you might have a problem.

Remember we have a lot of One Series content today and our reviews of both devices will be up within the next few days so be sure to check back soon, subscribe to our feed, follow us on Twitter or connect on Facebook for all the latest.

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HTC One X vs One S; heavy use battery life comparison originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 24, 2012.

O2 UK 4G trials record 150Mbps data speeds

Nirave — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:21:12 +0000

Having kicked off the UK’s largest 4G network trial, O2 have released preliminary results from their 4G testing, indicating the network’s next-gen 4G network is delivering speeds of up to 150Mbps.

Around 1,000 people took part in the trials, which has been taking place around Central London, and O2 has revealed that whilst the 150Mbps speeds were reached in certain parts of London, the speeds averaged out to between 20 and 50Mbps, which is up to 20 times faster than the UK’s current 3G networks.

“The forthcoming spectrum auction is a watershed moment for the UK mobile industry, releasing the airwaves that will power a whole range of exciting next generation mobile services,” Ronan Dunne, Chief Executive Officer of Telefónica UK, parent company of O2said: “The new spectrum will increase capacity, quality and speed and will allow us to deliver true connectivity through a suite of innovative digital services, that work seamlessly and at speed for the benefit of consumers, business and UK plc.”

You can see the speeds we achieved in our LTE tests here and here.

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O2 UK 4G trials record 150Mbps data speeds originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 19, 2012.

European networks lose faith with Nokia

Nirave — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:08:37 +0000

Networks are key to every manufacturer and Nokia is no different; with their latest Lumia range of Windows Phone smartphones, Nokia is reliant on operators to ensure their devices get the maximum coverage.

Reuters report that European networks are losing faith with Nokia’s Windows Phone smartphones, saying:

“If the Lumia with the same hardware came with Android in it and not Windows, it would be much easier to sell”

It’s worth noting that so far, Nokia has had very little influence on the Windows Phone OS, and the first Nokia devices where the Finnish company has had an influence are expected to come later this year featuring the Windows Phone Apollo platform.

We’d definitely recommend you check out the article at the link below.

Read

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European networks lose faith with Nokia originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 17, 2012.

HTC One X, HTC One S launched in the UK

Nirave — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:41:59 +0000

It’s pretty much been expected since most networks confirmed they would have it today, but HTC’s latest One Series has launched in the UK with the One X and One S available to purchase today.

We’ve already covered all the deals in our pre-order round-up post, but some other ones to watch out for is O2′s launch offer on the One S and super pricing on the One X.

The HTC One X features a 1.5GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 “4-PLUS-1″ CPU which powers the 4.7 inch SLCD2 720p HD display. The HTC One S on the other hand sacrifices the quad-core processor for a 1.5GHz dual-core Krait CPU which powers the 4.3 inch Super AMOLED display (540 x 960 pixels).

Both devices feature 1GB RAM under the hood, an 8MP rear camera with HTC’s Sense imaging chip and the ability to snap picture in just 0.2 seconds from the lock screen. Both devices also have the capability to snap hi-res photos and record 1080p HD video simultaneously. Both devices run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC’s Sense UI v4 on top.

We’ve spent time with both devices and you can see our thoughts in our One X gallery and hands on video and One S gallery and hands on video.

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HTC One X, HTC One S launched in the UK originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 5, 2012.

O2 special launch offer for the HTC One S

Nirave — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:34:34 +0000

This popped into our email; it seems O2 have a special one week only launch offer for the HTC One S, which launches today as part of the HTC One Series alongside its bigger brother, the HTC One X.

O2′s special launch offer is the device free on the following tariff:

£27 per month
24 month contract
300 any network minutes
500 O2 to O2 minutes
Unlimited texts
500MB mobile data
Free HTC One S

Hurry though, the offer only lasts until 12th April and stocks are likely to sell out soon at that price! It’s not online at the moment, but should be up soon enough!

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O2 special launch offer for the HTC One S originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 5, 2012.

O2 reveal HTC One X pricing

Nirave — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 06:51:17 +0000

O2 have revealed their pricing for the quad-core HTC One X, widely tipped to be the hottest smartphone of the year.

Launching today (April 5th), the One X is available online via O2′s website and has been given a super price point of just £36 per month on O2′s new On and On tariff with Unlimited minutes, texts and 1GB mobile data per month.

O2 are also offering the device on the same tariff with an additional 1GB data (so total 2GB) for just £5 per month extra. Both plans are 24 months minimum commitment.

Here’s all their prices for the HTC One X:

Head over to O2 here to purchase now.

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O2 reveal HTC One X pricing originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 5, 2012.

Introducing the O2 On and On Holy Grail smartphone

Nirave — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 13:51:10 +0000

O2 have just announced the O2 On and On, a smartphone that promises to reach the “holy grail” of smart features with an immense battery life.

O2′s been working on this smartphone since the O2 Jet, which features brilliant battery life but wasn’t the smartest under the hood.

The O2 On and On features a capacitive touch screen, Android smartphone platform and the usual array of connectivity but stands above the competition with its battery life; quoted at 1,000 hours talk time and 92 days standby, the device features the best battery life of a smartphone to date.

Other features of the On and On include an 8 megapixel camera, LED Flash, 1080p HD video capture, 1.2GHz processor and a 3.5 capacitive touch screen. It’s runs on the Ice Cream Sandwich variant of the Android platform and should be available next month.

What do you think of the O2 On and On? Would you buy it? Let us know in the comments!

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Introducing the O2 On and On Holy Grail smartphone originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on April 1, 2012.

HTC One S Contract Pre Order round up

Nirave — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 07:00:42 +0000

HTC’s lastest dual-core smartphone, the One S is headed to the UK, with some pre-order deliveries beginning next week.

Announced at Mobile World Congress last month, the One S features a 4.3 inch Super LCD display, is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and features 1GB RAM alongside an 8 megapixel camera with HTC’s Sense Imaging chip and 1080p Full HD video capture. The device also features the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system alongside HTC’s own Sense UI 4.

We went hands on with the One S at Mobile World Congress 2012; why not check out our hands on gallery and video?

Here, we round up the pick of the HTC One S pre-order deals including expected dates if available.

Vodafone

Monthly Price: Free from £36 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 600 + Vodafone Passport
Inclusive Texts: Unlimited (3000)
Inclusive Data: 1GB (tethering inclusive) + 2GB BTOpenZone WiFi
Device Cost: Free
Extras: Vodafone Data Test Drive
Other Extras: First 10,000 pre orders get urBeats Beats Audio headphones by Dr Dre + 10 Free music tracks every month for three months.
Expected Date: Early April

Link: Pre-order the One X here

O2:

O2′s pricing has not been revealed but here’s what a call with their retentions department revealed.

Monthly Price: £36 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: Unlimited minutes
Inclusive Texts: Unlimited
Inclusive Data: 1GB
Device Cost: Free
Expected Date: 5th April 2012

Link: No link available.

T-Mobile:

No pricing or release data available as yet.

Link: Register for updates here.

Orange:

No pricing or release data available as yet.

Link: Register for updates here.

Three:

Available on Three’s The One Plan:

Monthly Price: £35 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 2,000 + 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes
Inclusive Texts: 5,000
Inclusive Data: All You Can Eat unlimited data
Device Cost: Free
Expected Date: Available online from 4th April 2012.

Link: Pre-order here

Phones4u:

Network: Vodafone
Monthly Price: £31 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 900
Inclusive Texts: 3,000
Inclusive Data: 500MB
Device Cost: Free
Extras: Free MediaLink HD with pre-order, £50 Auto cashback
Expected Date: Delivery on 7th April 2012

Link: Pre-order here

Carphone Warehouse:

Network: Orange
Monthly Price: £31 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 400
Inclusive Texts: 3,000
Inclusive Data: 750MB
Device Cost: Free
Extras: None
Expected Date: Delivery week commencing 2nd April 2012.

Link: Pre-order here

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HTC One S Contract Pre Order round up originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 31, 2012.

4G LTE Trial: The Results

Dani — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:15:03 +0000

The results of the first 4G LTE Tests on O2 have been revealed.

4G is like lightning. It’s an eye-opener which seriously enhances the mobile data experience; it’s going to change the mobile game.

These are the words of Trefor Davis. Trefor Davis is chief technology officer of Timico and one of the first people to be trialling the o2 4G LTE system in and around London.

Timico see the strategic important of mobile data and were one of the people who pushed the idea that the UK need to begin its shift to IPv6. This led Timico to invest in the opportunity for an Ethernet connection direct from the o2 network.

The UK has firmly resisted much move to a faster network beyond 3G but has taken recent steps with HSDPA to make the experience slightly more bearable.

LTE (Long Term Evolution), otherwise known as 4G is undergoing trials in a small number of locations in the UK and Timico is the first to be invited to the O2 Service Provider London trials.

This service is like lightning. It’s fast, speedy, call it what you like – it’s a life-changer. It’s one of those projects that has been a pleasure to be involved in.

Trefor tested the 4G network across London from McDonalds, to O2′s 4G offices in Slough and found himself getting faster speeds than he got on his home ADSL2+ connection. But his aim was to gain more and he soon found it travelling on a bus near Wardour Street. His data got him 15.5Mbps down and an amazing, 25Mbps up and he says all the measurements were impressive. Trefor conducted various tests on the browser, varying them for speeds and video calls between VoIP and Skype. Nothing was left to chance with the BBCI iPlayer TV streams shown running with 4 together..

Trefor’s highest recording is 97Mbps at the O2 Arena. The 2,600 MHz LTE will go to 150Mbps but the technology in the dongle does not as yet support this.

The spectrum for 4G includes two frequencies, high frequency (26))Mhz) or low frequency (in the UK, 800MHz). The two services incorporate different characteristics with low-frequency better at wall penetration and high-frequency better at carrying more data at any given time.

With the limitations that occurs now with network tariff offerings of data, it has become the norm that some users are required to pay for their extensive data. This new venture is something that users and customers will need to budget for if they wish to take advantage of the speeds available. In addition, this brings new opportunities for the gaming experience particularly for online games. As with any data, security will be uppermost in users thoughts as will the storage of data with mores services going into the cloud.

The World of 4G is nearly upon us and I am looking forward to becoming a part of the New World.

Head on over to read Trefor’s full articles via the link below

Source

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4G LTE Trial: The Results originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 30, 2012.

O2 release new On and On Unlimited tariff

Nirave — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:36:58 +0000

It’s finally here which means we can finally talk about this; O2 have launched a new tariff today (Friday 30th March), offering Unlimited minutes, texts and 1GB data from just £26 per month on a sim-only tariff and £36 per month with a high-end smartphone.

Similar to T-Mobile’s Full Monty plan, O2 are offering several different price plans all offering the same allowance; why should you go for the higher price plan? Simple, your smartphone of choice may not be free on the price plan you want but it could be free on one of the higher On and On plans.

Here’s their On and On offerings:

One example of the new plans is the iPhone 4S:

It costs £59.99 on the £36 per month On and On plan, £19.99 on the £41 per month plan and is free on the £46 per month plan.

One of the best bits about the On and On plan has to be the data allowance; as standard all plans come with 1GB included but for just £5 extra per month, O2 will allow you to double that to become 2GB.

For more info or to purchase a phone/sim only on the On and On plan, head over to O2.

Source

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O2 release new On and On Unlimited tariff originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 30, 2012.

HTC One X, One S and One V to launch next week

Nirave — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:14:01 +0000

HTC have announced that all three One Series devices, the One X, One S and One V are to launch in Central Europe next week.

The One X will cost €599, whilst the One S comes in at €499 and the One V will come in at €299.

We went hands on with the One X and One S at Mobile World Congress last month, where the devices were announced. Featuring Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC Sense UI 4.0 as standard across the range, the One Series is definitely impressive.

All three devices will launch in Europe on April 2nd; we already know of pre-orders for the One X and the One S in the UK, with most retailers getting the devices next week.

Why not check out our pre-order roundup for the One X as well as our Hands on Video and Gallery for the One X and video and gallery for the One S?

Via

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HTC One X, One S and One V to launch next week originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 29, 2012.

Ofcom delays Everything Everywhere 4G LTE proposals decision

Nirave — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:39:05 +0000

Everything Everywhere’s plans for a quick rollout of 4G LTE took a setback yesterday when Ofcom pushed back the date on its final decision.

Originally scheduled for April 17th, Ofcom have pushed the date back to May 8th, to allow other companies further time to respond. So far, the other main players, O2, Vodafone and Three have all voiced objections to the deal, with the main point of concern being that Everything Everywhere would have the majority of 1800MHz spectrum and own a monopoly of sorts on 4G LTE services in the UK for at least a year.

No guessing what’ll happen now other than more objections and possibly more delays.

Source: Ofcom

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Ofcom delays Everything Everywhere 4G LTE proposals decision originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 29, 2012.

UK telco retail stores to extend Sunday hours during the Olympics

Nirave — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 06:57:59 +0000

UK telecommunications retailers and network stores could extend Sunday opening hours during the Olympics after Chancellor George Osborne announced a nationwide suspension to Sunday trading laws during the Games.

Retail store working in London and near to the Olympics site have backed proposals for longer working hours, as it would inevitably lead to overtime pay and increased commissions.

Mobile News Online report speaking with several retail staff whom are happy to work extended hours on a Sunday during the Olympics.

It is bound to be a good move for all retailers as thousands of people will be in and around London on those days and business will most definitely be booming.

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UK telco retail stores to extend Sunday hours during the Olympics originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 29, 2012.

Lower-cost roaming set to hit the EU

Nirave — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:04:59 +0000

In the ongoing negotiations between operators over the cost of calls and texts via roaming, the European Parliamenet and the European Union have struck a deal over the cost of international roaming.

Under the new rules, which replace the current ones which are set to expire on July 1st, the cost of an international call in a foreign EU country would cost no more than 0.38 EUR per minute and received calls would cost no more than 0.08 EUR.

In 2014, that will drop to 0.19 EUR to call and 0.05 to receive. The price of sending a text will be capped at 0.09 EUR now and will reduce to 0.06 EUR in 2014.

Data Roaming ccosts will also reduce with the cost dropping to a max cap of 0.70 EUR per megabyte and further dropping to a maximum 0.2 EUR per MB in 2014.

The rules are not set in stone as they will still require a final vote, but the rules should come into effect on July 1st. Via

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Lower-cost roaming set to hit the EU originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 28, 2012.

O2 LTE speed test

Nirave — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:41:37 +0000

My good friend Dan Carter has posted an LTE speed test run on O2 fittingly at The O2.

We ran some tests together back in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress last month and Dan has tested out O2′s trial LTE network.

Here’s his result:

Head over to Dan’s post here to see his test on video.

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O2 LTE speed test originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 28, 2012.

Review – Cel-Fi

Guest — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:19:17 +0000

Well what do we have here ?

Cel-Fi is a signal booster and repeater.

As you can see in the video below, it comes in 2 parts, first you have your window box and your receiving box.

The window box sits where you get the best signal in your place of living or work, it then via no wires (magical) it sends that signal to the 2nd box and viola you have a signal where before you did not.

Watch the video below for a better idea of how it works and what I think about this technology.

If you’d like to check out Cel-Fi here.

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Review – Cel-Fi originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 28, 2012.

UK Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tabs get £115 free content

Nirave — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:09:28 +0000

Fancy bagging yourself a Samsung Galaxy Note or Galaxy Tab? Here’s £115 worth of reasons to get one.

Samsung’s promotion campaign in the UK continues, with the company offering £115 worth of free multimedia content to purchasers of their Galaxy Note phablet or Galaxy Note tablet range.

To get the offer, you have to buy your new device from participating outlets, which are O2, Phones4u, Carphone Warehouse, Dixons or Orange and then you access the Samsung Hub on your new device to redeem your “Galaxy Package.”

Then you click on Exclusives and submit your IMEI number for verification. Once verified, you will need to cLick on the voucher download button to download your voucher, which you can use at Samsung Movies and 7Digital.

The deal gives you £65 to spend on movie rentals in Samsung Movies, which is a free download itself and £50 to spend at 7Digital which is available via the Samsung Hub itself.

Full terms and conditions are available via this link. You only have four days from purchase to gain access to your content.

We’ll be bringing you are Galaxy Note review in the next few days but in the meantime, why not check out our unboxing?

Source ~ Via

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UK Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tabs get £115 free content originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 27, 2012.

O2 Nokia Lumia Sale

Nirave — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:41:03 +0000

O2 have a sale on the Nokia Lumia range, with the Lumia 710 available from just £16.50 per month on a 24 month contract and the Lumia 800 available from just £21.50 per month on a 24 month plan.

Both deals come including data, minutes and texts whilst the Lumia 800 deal also comes with 250 extra O2-to-O2 minutes.

No word on how long the deals will lay so get yours now!

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O2 Nokia Lumia Sale originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 27, 2012.

O2 release Samsung Galaxy S2 Android Ice Cream Sandwich update

Nirave — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:20:15 +0000

Manage to miss this earlier but O2 have begun rolling out the Galaxy S2 Ice Cream Sandwich firmware update.

This follows on from Three UK and the generic updates which both began rolling out not too long ago.

Head over to the Settings menu on your device now to download the update.

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O2 release Samsung Galaxy S2 Android Ice Cream Sandwich update originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 27, 2012.

HTC One X pre-order round up

Nirave — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:00:52 +0000

HTC’s first quad-core smartphone, the One X is headed to the UK, with some pre-order deliveries beginning next week.

Announced at Mobile World Congress last month, the One X features a 4.7 inch SLCD2 720p HD display, is powered by a 1.5GHz NVIDIA “4-PLUS-1″ processor and features 1GB RAM alongside an 8 megapixel camera with HTC’s Sense Imaging chip and 1080p Full HD video capture. The device also features the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system alongside HTC’s own Sense UI 4.

We went hands on with the One X at Mobile World Congress 2012; why not check out our hands on gallery and video?

Here, we round up the pick of the HTC One X pre-order deals including expected dates if available.

Vodafone

Monthly Price: Free from £41 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 900 + Vodafone Passport
Inclusive Texts: Unlimited (3000)
Inclusive Data: 1GB (tethering inclusive) + 2GB BTOpenZone WiFi
Device Cost: Free
Extras: 25MB data per day in selected European countries – Vodafone Data Test Drive
Other Extras: First 10,000 pre orders get urBeats Beats Audio headphones by Dr Dre + 10 Free music tracks every month for three months.
Expected Date: Early April

Link: Pre-order the One X here

O2:

O2′s pricing has not been revealed but here’s what a call with their retentions department revealed.

Monthly Price: £37 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 600 minutes
Inclusive Texts: Unlimited
Inclusive Data: 1GB
Device Cost: Free
Expected Date: April 2012

Link: No link available.

T-Mobile:

No pricing or release data available as yet.

Link: Register for updates here.

Orange:

No pricing or release data available as yet.

Link: Register for updates here.

Three:

Available on Three’s The One Plan:

Monthly Price: £38 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 2,000 + 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes
Inclusive Texts: 5,000
Inclusive Data: All You Can Eat unlimited data
Device Cost: Free
Expected Date: Available online from 4th April 2012.

Link: Pre-order here

Phones4u:

Network: Vodafone
Monthly Price: £36 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 600
Inclusive Texts: 3,000
Inclusive Data: 500MB
Device Cost: Free
Extras: Free MediaLink HD with pre-order
Expected Date: Delivery on 7th April 2012

Link: Pre-order here

Carphone Warehouse:

Network: Vodafone
Monthly Price: £36 per month
Contract Length: 24 months
Inclusive Minutes: 600
Inclusive Texts: 3,000
Inclusive Data: 1GB
Device Cost: Free
Extras: None
Expected Date: Delivery week commencing 2nd April 2012.

Link: Pre-order here

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HTC One X pre-order round up originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 27, 2012.

Orange promises super fast 4G LTE

Nirave — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:00:37 +0000

Orange has joined the debate over super fast 4G LTE services by promising to deliver the next gen high speed wireless network to the UK and nine other European countries by the end of 2015.

Orange, whose UK arm is owned by Everything Everywhere, made its pledge at a meeting at the European Commission in Brussels amidst ten commitments designed to help the EU achieve its digital goals.

In line with other UK networks, Orange has also said that the regulators will play a big part in helping the EU achieve its 4G LTE goals.

“[Orange will] roll out 4G/LTE networks in all Orange European Union markets by 2015. We welcome the EU decision to make more spectrum available, in a timely and harmonised manner, to wireless services in the EU, and look forward to further, similar initiatives to help us cope with the massive growth in public data use,” the company said in its announcement.

In the UK, the rollout of 4G LTE services has been affected by ongoing disputes between networks as well as the need to refarm digital spectrum currently used in analogue TV for the use of next gen wireless networks. Everything Everywhere, who also own T-Mobile UK, are currently leading the race for 4G having gained provisional approval from regulator Ofcom to use existing 1800MHz spectrum for 4G Services.

Despite getting approval from Ofcom however, EE’s 4G rollout could be delayed if rival networks take objection to the use of existing spectrum, which some of them have done. The national rollout of 4G LTE is dependent on the spectrum auction currenset set for the end of this year. 4G services are expected to be rolled out nationally between 2014 and 2015, with some areas of the UK gaining 4G LTE capabilities as early as the end of 2012/next year.

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Orange promises super fast 4G LTE originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 22, 2012.

HTC One S now available to preorder in the UK; free from £31 per month

Nirave — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 07:00:46 +0000

HTC’s latest dual-core smartphone, the One S has been made available to pre-order via retailer Phones4u, who are offering the smartphone with pay monthly contracts on Vodafone, O2 and Orange.

Alongside its brother, the One X, Phones4u is offering a free HTC MediaLink HD wireless streaming accessory with every preorder of either device. That’s actually a very hand accessory to have, especially with the media capabilities of the One Series.

The One S is available in Black and Greay and Phones4u also have options available with more or less minutes. Plans start at £26 per month, although that plan comes with a £59.99 upfront charge and the plan offers you 100 minutes, 500 texts and 250MB data.

Head over to Phones4u to pre-order now. Be sure to check out our hands-on video and hands-on gallery whilst you’re waiting for your One S to arrive! We definitely recommend you check out this video where the technology used on the One S’ rear is explained.

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HTC One S now available to preorder in the UK; free from £31 per month originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 16, 2012.

Vodafone has ‘serious doubts’ over Ofcom’s EE UK 4G LTE decision

Nirave — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:00:43 +0000

Vodafone has come out and said that it seriously doubts that Everything Everywhere’s 4G proposals for 2012 will serve consumer interests.

Telecommunications regulator Ofcom announced yesterday that EE’s proposals to refarm spectrum for 4G use in the UK by the end of this year would not substantially harm competition or consumer interests but Vodafone disagree.

As I reported yesterday, Ofcom had given all the other 4G contenders in the UK four weeks to respond to its potential approval of Everything Everywhere’s plans and whilst O2 and Three are yet to comment, its clear that Vodafone do not agree with the plans..

A Vodafone spokesman said:

‘It comes as a surprise that the regulator is now considering giving the largest player in the market permission to use its existing spectrum for 4G services before the rules for the auction have even been concluded or it has divested spectrum as required by the European Commission.

‘We share the regulator’s desire to see the next generation of mobile internet services rolled out quickly and placed within the reach of many more people in rural areas. But we seriously doubt that consumers’ best interests will be served by giving one company a significant head start before any of its competitors have a clear path to 4G. We will need to review Ofcom’s reasons for pressing ahead with liberalisation of Everything Everywhere’s existing spectrum before making our submission as part of the current consultation.’

In response, an Everything Everywhere spokesperson said :

‘It’s very important that the UK does not get left behind in the building of a new infrastructure for the digital economy. We welcome notice of 1800MHz licence variation from Ofcom, as it suggests Ofcom’s willingness to encourage the early deployment of 4G LTE.’

Vodafone claim that whilst the move to bring 4G LTE services to the UK as soon as possible would bring “substantial benefits to British consumers, businesses and the wider economy”, the benefits could only be realised if at least another network offered 4G services to aid competition.

Under the proposals, Everything Everywhere could refarm a portion of its 1800MHz spectrum and use it to provide next-generation mobile services, significantly before other networks can provide the services.

Under current plans, Ofcom is planning to hold its 4G spectrum auction at the end of this year and once that is completed, networks can begin rolling out their 4G networks. At the moment, EE, O2 and Vodafone are all holding their own small-scale LTE tests and if an agreement can be reached between the networks, 4G services could roll out later this year under the Everything Everywhere umbrella.

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Vodafone has ‘serious doubts’ over Ofcom’s EE UK 4G LTE decision originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 14, 2012.

Ofcom: UK 4G could come in 2012

Nirave — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:30:52 +0000

Ofcom has given UK users a ray of hope by announcing that plans for 4G this year could become a reality.

Everything Everywhere recently submitted proposals to allow the parent company of Orange and T-Mobile to use its existing spectrum to deliver 4G services later this year.

Ofcom stated:

“Given the benefits this would bring to consumers, Ofcom is minded to allow this change of use.”

Everything Everywhere proposed that it repurposed its existing 1800 MHz spectrum, currently used for 3G services, for “LTE and WiMAX use.”

Ofcom does concede that the proposals would give Everything Everywhere a lead to market on UK 4G services, as the operator would “be the only entity capable of providing LTE/WiMAX services on a national basis for a period of time.” Ofcom states that it does “not consider that any material risk of distortion to competition will arise if we vary EE’s license as requested.”

However, before everyone switches over to Everything Everywhere in preparation for 4G, Ofcom is giving all the other networks to submit their views on the proposal and given the constant disputes over 4G between the networks, this could be a potential stumbling block.

In the meantime, why not check out our LTE Test and our LTE Speed Test Videos for a chance to see what speeds can be achieved using 4G LTE.

Via

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Ofcom: UK 4G could come in 2012 originally appeared on UK Mobile Review on March 13, 2012.