Total Telecom – EE launches commercial LTE-Advanced service
Exactly two years after launching LTE, EE on Thursday launched commercial LTE-Advanced carrier aggregation (CA) services, increasing significantly the maximum connection speed available to its now 6 million-strong 4G subscriber base.
The upgraded network has gone live initially in central London and will be rolled out to Greater London by June 2015. The U.K. operator will then introduce LTE-A, or 4G+ as EE is calling it, in large cities including Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.
Earlier in October, rival Vodafone delivered a surprise by revealing its plans to start rolling out a commercial LTE-A service this month, beginning with Birmingham, Manchester and London.
Bengt Nordström, CEO of telco consultancy Northstream, said he is “much more positive” about LTE-A than other new technology launches because it provides “a noticeable difference for the user.”
However, he warned that EE must ensure that its 2.6-GHz coverage is up to scratch, or the experience “will be very patchy” for end users.
