O2 trials LTE in the UK

Mobile broadband technology

O2 and Huawei have completed their first trial of Long Term Evolution (LTE) in the UK, offering next-generation connectivity on mobile phones.

Don't get too excited though as the companies aren't planning to roll it out commercially yet.

This first fully operational trial of the technology managed to reach mobile internet download speeds of 150Mbps in the Slough area where O2's headquarters are based.

Also known as 4G, LTE aims to increase performance for data rich applications such as high definition video streaming, mobile gaming, high speed file transfer and video conferencing.

Although the trial has been a success, an O2 spokesperson told IT PRO: "The LTE trial was just a one day trial in Slough we have no current plans to roll anything out at the moment."

Huawei has deployed 25 LTE networks across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East but it is the company's first time working with O2's parent company Telefonica.

Derek McManus, chief technology officer of O2 UK, said in a statement: "We are pleased to collaborate with Huawei on this LTE trial, which will allow us to better understand this emerging technology and prepare us in offering our customers next generation mobile broadband services in the future."

O2 first announced the trial back in October this year as part of a pan-European trial across six countries.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.