Ofcom's first 4G survey shows that speed isn't everything
All of Britain's major mobile networks have been offering 4G for a while now, but because all have their own infrastructure, speeds and coverage can vary wildly. Each carrier is quick to boast their own statistics, but thanks to Ofcom's first ever 4G research report (which tested networks in five of the biggest UK cities) we're finally able to separate fact from fiction. EE and O2 took first and second place in the all-important average download speed test, reaching 18.4Mbps and 15.6Mbps respectively, while Three claimed victory for the time needed to load a simple webpage. The carrier, which was originally a 3G-only operator and the last to offer its customers 4G connectivity, also took the gold medal for latency, which is crucial for video calls and apps that require fast response times.
Right now, all of the major network operators are working to deploy and optimise the 4G spectrum auctioned by Ofcom in 2013. It's a process that's still ongoing, although the regulator is also planning a second round late next year (or early 2016), increasing data capacity in the process. In the meantime, Vodafone and EE are dipping their toes with LTE-Advanced, a superior network technology that boosts 4G speeds for smartphones with Cat 6 LTE radios (a rare breed in the UK at the moment). So while Ofcom's data seems pretty reliable, it's worth noting that each network's 4G coverage is changing fast. An area offering slower speeds today, could offer lightning-quick connectivity in the future.
