Isn't it better when we work together? British carriers think so. EE, O2, Three and Vodafone have officially created a non-exclusive joint venture, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, that should speed up the deployment of 800MHz LTE by keeping Freeview over-the-air TV signals clear of interference while the partners bring their low-frequency 4G online. Previously, the networks were bound to form an equivalent company called MitCo that wouldn't have been active until after the 800MHz auction, preventing companies from getting their wireless houses in order until they'd already made a commitment. There's also a competitive angle involved to go with the cooperative work, as you might imagine: with EE's 1,800MHz LTE poised to go live on October 30th, choosing infighting over assistance would only help widen the frontrunner's lead. Whether DMSL represents altruism or pragmatism, we'll appreciate knowing that the hurdles to a catch-up in UK 4G will be more those of the technical reality than the usual political maneuvering.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

UK carriers form alliance to speed up 800MHz LTE rollout, let us enjoy our Freeview TV originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At the Mobile World Congress we spoke with Ralph Kimmig, General Manager of ITM Einkaufs, an internationally operating manufacturer and marketer of telecommunication and electronic devices located near Karlsruhe/Germany.

One such company that is ahead of the curve is Yukoono, a digital content portal that is as adaptable as the user is.

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O2 has beaten rival operator Orange to secure the exclusive rights to the Palm Pre when it is released in the UK.
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Orange UK is to offer a pay-as-you-go Blackberry - the first carrier in Europe to launch a PAYG RIM device.
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The best non-Apple device, Sony's PSP, only manages 13.1 per cent of this traffic.

Mobile operator T-Mobile UK has deployed HSUPA technology on a nationwide basis to improve upload speeds for users.
The operator has promised the change will result in an improvement of to fivefold in the time it takes to upload photos and videos to web sites at speeds of up to 1.4Mbps.
T-Mobile claims it is the first UK carrier to have committed to the data access protocol.
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