Posted: 07th Oct, 2011 By: MarkJ


Mobile operator
Everything Everywhere (
Orange and
T-Mobile ) and BT have officially started their previously announced
South Newquay (
Cornwall) UK trial of rural superfast 4G
Long Term Evolution ( LTE ) based Mobile Broadband technology.
The trial itself, which was first announced in May 2011 (
here), will make use of the soon-to-be-auctioned and longer range
800MHz (
790-862MHz) radio spectrum band (use to be used by old analogue TV services). Some 200 customers living in the
St. Newlyn East "
Not Spot" will be among the first to benefit.
Olaf Swantee, CEO of Everything Everywhere, said:
"Soon, more people will be accessing the internet on their mobile devices than on their PCs, and that means we need the right kind of networks in place to deliver the right kind of experience for our customers. That’s why, as the UK’s largest communications company, we are leading the development and introduction of new technologies like 4G. This next generation mobile network will allow individuals and businesses across Britain to access the people, places and things they want, wherever they are, whenever they want."
Nigel Stagg, CEO of BTWholesale, added:
"BT is committed to working with the government and using technology innovation to find ways of addressing the remaining challenges within the UK where there are still broadband ‘not-spots’. The final ten per cent of the country is exceedingly difficult to reach with the available standard fixed line solutions. Our proof of concept trial in Cornwall will test the capabilities and services that a shared fixed and mobile data network can support and is just one of the options, along with fibre and other mobile and wireless technologies that we are looking at to offer a possible solution to the rural broadband challenge."
The customer trial will last until early 2012 and follows a
successful eight week laboratory trial, which claims to have "
rigorously tested the network deployment in simulated conditions". It's understood that more than 400 local residents have registered their interest in the service.