UK 4G: Think carefully about your chosen phone

Hi

Given the recent news that will see EE launch 'early-4G 1800MHz' services 30th October, and other operators able to offer 4G services on post-auction frequencies from June/July next year, think carefully before signing up for a new 2 year contract!

The UK's post-4G-auction LTE frequencies are 800MHz and 2600MHz. If you are signing up for a new contract, and wish to take advantage of 4G when your operator starts rolling it out on these frequencies next summer, make sure the phone you choose supports 4G/LTE on these frequencies

If you go for EE's 4G service from 30th October, make sure that the '4G' phone you get from them does 800MHz and 2600MHz (as well as the 1800MHz frequency they are using initially). If you get a phone from EE that only does 1800MHz, you'll be left high and dry, unable to use the phone on any 800/2600MHz base stations that EE will start rolling out next summer.

The current UK version of the iPhone5 DOES NOT do 800/2600MHz 4G/LTE. In the UK, it will ONLY work on EE's 1800MHz 'interim-4G' service which may only ever cover 16 cities, or 1/3rd the UK population.

Likewise, many of the other 4G phones being offered by EE will not do 800/2600MHz. Apparently, the Nokia Lumnia 920 does... Its unlikely that the Samsung Galaxy S3/Note 2 will do the required freqs: 800, 1800 and 2600MHz.

If in doubt, switch to a cheapy monthly contract, and wait until the operators offer you some hardware that IS futureproofed for 4G. Cheapo month-to-month contracts can be had from 3 or virgin mobile for 7 quid a month.

'Three' also has 1800MHz spectrum on which it will roll out 4G services, but it cannot use this spectrum until September 2013 (license agreement with EE). If you go with three, you'll need 800,1800 and 2600MHz 4G on your device to be able to use 100% of threes the new 4G base stations.

I am needing a new phone/contract deal, but EE will only get my custom if the Galaxy Note-2 that they are going to offer does 800, 1800 and 2600LTE, otherwise its a waste of time/money.

I suspect the lack of UK 4G on your iPhone5 etc will effect its resale value 2 years down the line when 4G is covering 98% of the UK population.

Nigel

Edited by veletron (Sat 06-Oct-12 13:51:53)

I suppose this is why O2 are offering you a free upgrade to a 4G phone of your choice if you buy the new IPhone.

By the time 4G reaches Cities in Kent it should be a bit more 'mature' ... we'll probably have the iPhone 7 by then.

I think my iPhone 4 may see me through another 2 years before there is good enough network coverage available to make the jump to 4G...

I believe that ofcom has conditions attached to the winning of licenses in the 4G auction later this year. I believe that by end 2014, networks are supposed to cover 98% of the UK by population. Some networks are hoping to do this earlier rather than later.

Hopefully, this will mean that we avoid the situation with 3G, where Vodafone and O2 win 3G licenses and then don't bother to roll out service outside of major urban centres.

Nigel

Ofcoms 98% goal was 2017

o2/ vodafone said by 2015 it should have 2g 3g and 4g at the 98% level

In many press articles.

o2 started a 3 year nationwide upgrade programme to allow base stations to be software upgradable to 4g lte. search nokia seimens networks for south and ericsson for the north.

Also worth noting that at this point EE appear to be gearing up to ONLY offering 18 & 24 month contracts INCLUDING sim-only contract.

Obviously this could change before launch but at the moment that's quite a change from what we're currently used to.

In reply to a post by Matchstick:

Also worth noting that at this point EE appear to be gearing up to ONLY offering 18 & 24 month contracts INCLUDING sim-only contract.

Obviously this could change before launch but at the moment that's quite a change from what we're currently used to.

EE can't be confident of customer retention then. Contracts longer than 30 days can be a deterrent for new business, particularly when handset subsidy is not required. Meanwhile it will be interesting to see if O2/Voda will compete with DC-HSDPA (40Mbps) since the iPhone 5 supports that.

Why do you claim that 'many' of the phones EE will offer will not to 800 and 2600 MHz?

http://www.pcworld.com/article/262075/quadcore_galax...

@bosie o2 are rolling out dc-hsdpa at 42mb http://www.t3.com/news/o2-uk-brings-42mbps-fastest-e... and also discussed on the o2 community