People have been slow to adopt the new 4G technology in the U.K., but the Deloitte Consulting agency sees that there has been a turn in public opinion. Deloitte (News - Alert) is foreseeing that close to ten million users in the U.K. plan to switch from their 3G networks to the newer 4G networks over the course of the next year. This is promising to the mobile network providers, because it is showing a faster acceptance of 4G technology in the U.K. than any other country in Europe. The group Everything Everywhere is reporting more than one million subscribers are making the switch to 4G.
One of the driving forces behind 4G acceptance is the fact that more businesses and traditional users are using voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), such as Skype (News - Alert), and short message service (SMS) to communicate. This is driving consumer demand to want the fastest possible service available.
Deloitte’s head of technology, Paul Lee, told Telappliant News, “The busy fourth quarter -- particularly the build-up to Christmas -- would help to swell 4G usage figures too. Generally, the U.K. is quite high in adoption of new technology.”
However, there has been concern that the U.K. was far behind the rest of Europe in adapting 4G technology. Ofcom, an independent regulator and competition authority for the U.K. communications industries, conducted an auction to allow the largest networks in the U.K. to purchase new spectrum to allow for the growth of 4G, but was met with companies postponing their bids because they were not pleased about the terms of the sell-off.
The U.K. mobile company Three, one of the fastest growing mobile networks in the U.K., is trying to narrow the gap between themselves and Everything Everywhere by announcing that they will have 4G technology available by the end of 2013 in the three largest metropolitan areas in England: Birmingham, London, and Manchester. They have also announced that they plan on making 4G available in 50 additional cities throughout the U.K. by the end of 2014.
Ronan Dunne, the chief executive officer of O2 (News - Alert) Telefonica U.K., told a reporter at The Yorkshire Post that the launch of 4G will be a “big boost” to the country’s economy.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson