One broadband industry expert has questioned whether consumers in the UK are interested in LTE technology as providers try and make plans for 4G networks.

There has been a lot of talk about 4G technology over the past year or two, and many people that use mobile broadband services are keen to see 4G networks rolled out by network providers because of the improvements that they will be able to offer over existing 3G networks, which have limited capacity and can struggle to cope with the huge demand for mobile broadband services.

The benefits of LTE technology, which is one form of technology that many providers are keen to use when rolling out 4G networks, are thought to be many, and this includes providing faster speeds, greater coverage, better quality connections, increased reliability, and greater capacity to cope with the rising demand for mobile broadband services.
However, one industry official has questioned whether consumers in the UK really want LTE technology such as that being planned by the mobile giant Everything Everywhere, which was formed through a joint venture between T-Mobile UK and Orange UK.

The editor of Mobile Gazzette, Conrad Longmore, said that the operator might be better off improving its existing 3G network rather than looking at LTE, as more customers might appreciate this rather than having to wait for the company to go to the trouble and expense of bringing in LTE. He said: “Many customers would probably be more interested in Everything Everywhere improving their 3.5G coverage first, rather than spend a very large sum of money on something that very few people can take advantage of.”

Source – IT Pro Portal