Telecommunications company O2 have announced that they will be launching their 4G network in London, Leeds and Bradford on the 29th August 2013. Their scheme will rival new company EE’s 4G service. It is thought that Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Edinburgh will also receive the service by the end of the year.
“O2's 4G tariffs - which will be around five times faster than 3G - start at £26 a month and come with a 30-day guarantee and 12 months free music when bought direct from O2.
EE launched Britain's first 4G services last October after the regulator allowed it to re-use its existing airwaves.
“O2's 4G tariffs - which will be around five times faster than 3G - start at £26 a month and come with a 30-day guarantee and 12 months free music when bought direct from O2.
EE launched Britain's first 4G services last October after the regulator allowed it to re-use its existing airwaves.
The service currently covers 95 cities and tariffs start at £15 for just internet data, or £21 a month for the voice calls and data package on a SIM-only package.
Take-up of EEs superfast services, which are priced 10-20 percent more than the equivalent 3G tariffs, reached 687,000 in July.
Take-up of EEs superfast services, which are priced 10-20 percent more than the equivalent 3G tariffs, reached 687,000 in July.
The company is targeting 1 million customers by the end of the year.
For the typical user, download speeds of initial 4G networks should be at least five to seven times faster than those of existing 3G networks.
O2 is launching a range of tariffs starting at £26 a month.
Each one comes with what's called a 30-day 'Happiness Guarantee' for customers who sign up direct from O2.
This means they will be able to cancel their contract or change it if they are not satisfied.
Customers that buy direct 4G from O2 will also be given 12 months free music content.
All O2 customers will also be offered free 4G advice and guidance from an O2 Guru from launch, either in-store or online.
Further details on O2's 4G prices and rollout dates will be unveiled in the coming months.
EE held the monopoly on the network because regulator Ofcom gave it permission to use existing spectrum (1800MHz) that it already owned.
Ofcom then held an auction for companies to bid to use other parts of the spectrum from 800MhZ to 2.6GHz and O2 purchased the highest proportion of the 800MHz spectrum for £550m.
The spectrum was released to the company in May and the network was approved by Ofcom earlier this week.
Ronan Dunne, CEO of Telefónica UK which owns O2 said: 'Digital connectivity will be made ubiquitous by 4G and become the oxygen of modern life.
'The full potential of 4G is as yet unexplored but over half of our customers say they use more data than two years ago and even more use wifi wherever they go, to always stay connected.
'Given this trend, there is no doubt that 4G will transform our lives, be it as consumers, in business or through public sector services.'
The launch in Britain will be the second European market where O2 has launched 4G having already rolled out superfast mobile internet services in Germany, as well as further afield in countries including Brazil.
Commenting on the news, Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, said: 'Finally, EE has some competition for consumers hungry for super-fast mobile internet.
'For nine months the UK's 4G market has been a one-horse race, but now EE has a thoroughbred breathing down its neck.
'However, until O2 announces full pricing information it remains to be seen just how hard-pressed EE will be.
Vodafone, which is the third biggest network operator in Britain, won both 800MHz and 2.6GHz lots during the auction and has said it will roll out a 4G offering later this summer.
In July, EE announced it was doubling its 4G speeds for people in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield.
'Given this trend, there is no doubt that 4G will transform our lives, be it as consumers, in business or through public sector services.'
The launch in Britain will be the second European market where O2 has launched 4G having already rolled out superfast mobile internet services in Germany, as well as further afield in countries including Brazil.
Commenting on the news, Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, said: 'Finally, EE has some competition for consumers hungry for super-fast mobile internet.
'For nine months the UK's 4G market has been a one-horse race, but now EE has a thoroughbred breathing down its neck.
'However, until O2 announces full pricing information it remains to be seen just how hard-pressed EE will be.
Vodafone, which is the third biggest network operator in Britain, won both 800MHz and 2.6GHz lots during the auction and has said it will roll out a 4G offering later this summer.
In July, EE announced it was doubling its 4G speeds for people in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield.
The speed boost - which is twice as fast as current average 4G speeds and 10 times as fast as 3G - will make it easier to watch HD videos without buffering, share high-resolution pictures and send large files in seconds.”
If you are interested in partaking in this service, contact O2 directly via the following link http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/o2-phone-number/ and speak with a member of their customer service department. For more information on the role of social media in modern day society, read our articles on Ezine.
Article originally found at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2382394/O2-set-launch-4G-mobile-network-UK-August-29th.html.
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