O2 Fires Up Fast 900MHz-based 3G Services in London

Today, mobile phone carrier O2 announced the deployment of a new superfast 3G network in London, one that is based on the 900MHz spectrum.

The roll-out was possible due to receiving permission for the reuse the 900MHz spectrum for 3G services, which was granted by Ofcom, the UK Communications Regulator, back in January.

This launch makes O2 the first UK operator to benefit from the 900MHz network license.

The wireless carrier also notes that the new 3G900 network layer in London should offer users a 50 percent increase in capacity when compared to the existing O2 3G network.

“This 3G900 switch-on is the latest in a series of network enhancements for O2, and is a first for the UK and Telefónica,” Nigel Purdy, Chief Technology Officer for Telefónica O2 UK, said

“We’ve acted quickly to bring the benefits of 3G over 900MHz spectrum to our customers and we’re thrilled with the results. Quite simply, on O2’s network, more customers can use more data, and experience it quicker.”

Previously, the 900MHz frequency band was licensed only for 2G services in the UK. However, the bands can offer significant increases in performance if used for the delivery of 3G services.

Since January, when it was granted the new network license, O2 has been hard at work with the deployment of 3G900 services in a series of key cities across the UK.

Among the markets that already benefit from roll-out, we can count Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester, but the carrier confirmed plans to make enhancement available for users in more cities as well.

“We invest the equivalent of over £1m a day, every day, in our network, which is used to deliver technologies in a way that goes beyond traditional cellular infrastructure; providing access to a new range of ‘smarter’ services,” Nigel Purdy continued.

“Our strategy is to intelligently layer our network to give our customers connection to 2G, 3G, HSPA+, LTE and Wi-Fi, seamlessly, simply and at speed.”