LTE trial begins in Wales

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The Welsh mountains may seem an unlikely place for technological advancements, but today they witnessed the launch of a trial to boost broadband for rural areas.

Media services company Arqiva has teamed up with telecoms vendor Alcatel-Lucentto trial Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in the Preseli Mountains, West Wales.

The trial is set to last for three months and will help determine the viability of a “neutral host” model to provide such technologies.

"LTE technology offers the potential to accelerate the availability of broadband services to individuals and businesses that do not have access to services that many of us take for granted,” said Lakh Jemmett, Alcatel-Lucent's North European president.

Using the 800MHz spectrum, which was freed up thanks to the TV digital switchover, the companies claim to be able to provide 50Mbps connections to arrears previously deemed as ‘not-spots’ for their lack of installed fibre or copper connections.

“We firmly believe that the combination of LTE technology, the 800MHz spectrum and a neutral-host commercial model is the best way of providing rural communities with broadband quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively," added Steve Holebrook, managing director of Arqiva’s government, mobile and enterprise business.

Although no future trial sites have been decided upon, a spokesperson for the partnership told IT PRO it would like to develop a multi-site trial "at some point in the future."

They also confirmed they had invited the Government, along with other potential stakeholders, to look at the trial and to learn more about the concept. If it gets the thumbs up, the technology could contribute towards Government plans to bring 2Mbps connections to all citizens by 2015.

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