EE launches 4G+ in London
It has been revealed that EE has launched its 4G+ network by switching it on in central parts of London.
The new network can deliver speeds of up to 150Mbps, which is more than twice as fast as double speed 4G. The new service, which is also referred to as LTE-Advanced, is described as the next stage in 4G technology and makes use of ‘carrier aggregation’ to enable a combination of bandwidths to be used together.
The 4G+ system will be using part of 1,800MHz spectrum and part of the 2.6GHz spectrum to enable faster speeds to be achieved. The downside is that it is only available to those with a compatible handset, of which there are two in the range offered by EE – the Samsung Note 4 and the Samsung Alpha. Customers who want to take advantage of the new network will also need to be on a special plan, but there is no increase in charge from the ‘double speed’ 4G service.
The additional airwaves have created new capacity for all EE customers in areas of central London such as Soho, Westminster and Kensington. It is hoped that by June next year the whole of London will have coverage, after which it will be rolled out to other cities such as Birmingham and Manchester.
It should be noted that the roll-out of standard 4G is continuing, with an additional 19 towns added in October 2014. Warwick became the 300th town to be added and the ‘double speed’ 4G services are now available to more than 50% of the population of the UK.