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O2 announces launch of enhanced 3G mobile broadband network

O2 has announced that it has switched on a new 3G 900MHz network that offers increased capacity, as well as an increase in download speeds.

O2 revealed that it gained permission to reuse its 900MHz network licence spectrum for 3G services from Ofcom back in January and has become the first operator to deploy it.  It also revealed that since January, the new 3G900 network has already been deployed in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and other key cities.

Last Friday (18 March) it announced that it has switch on the 3G900 network in London.

Vodafone also has a 900MHz network licence and also has permission to reuse it for its own 3G services.

O2 says that it has carried out “rigorous customer experience testing” which showed that on average, “O2 customers on 3G900 compatible devices are now receiving data 30% faster than before the new spectrum was allocated for 3G use. Network capacity in the areas where 3G900 has been rolled out has also increased by 50%, allowing more people to take advantage of O2’s high speed data services and in more places.”

As for compatibility, smartphones, tablets and dongles need to work over  UMTS/HSPA 900MHz.  The iPhone4 and iPad2 are already compatible.

The new 3G900 network, traditionally used for 2G services, will offer a 50% increase in network capacity and 30% faster downloads.  According to the mobile operator, “O2’s UK 3G (HSPA+ 900 / 2100 MHz) network currently provides voice and high speed data services of up to 14.4Mbps (21Mbps in the coming months), to over 84% of the UK population.”

Using the 900MHz spectrum offers these benefits because of the longer range of the radio waves in the lower spectrum band.  It can also offer better coverage in buildings.

Nigel Purdy, CTO of Telefónica O2 UK, said in a statement: “This 3G900 switch-on is the latest in a series of network enhancements for O2, and is a first for the UK and Telefónica. 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.”