Everything Everywhere, BT commence Cornwall 4G trial
October 7, 2011
Everything Everywhere and BT have confirmed the start of a trial of 4G technology in Cornwall in which some 200 residents will consume services over both fixed and mobile network connections.
The trial is designed to provide the firms with insights into how 4G services perform in rural areas, with the technology set to start going live from 2014. It is cited as one of the ways in which the UK can close its digital divide.
Underlining the demand for high-speed broadband, some 400 residents applied to participate in the trial, with a total of 100 fixed and 100 mobile volunteers now chosen, all of whom live in the region to the south of Newquay. The trial will run until early 2012.
Fixed customers will connect wirelessly via a 4G base station, which then passes the signal to BT’s fixed-line backhaul network, while mobile customers will receive LTE-enabled dongles for use with laptops. The trial is running on a small section of the 800MHz and 10MHz spectrum holdings and is supported by technology from Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei.