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Virgin Media carries out 4G testing in London
Tuesday 24th January 2012, by Simon White
Virgin Media has fuelled speculation that it could bid in the spectrum auction later this year after it carried out testing on its 4G mobile network technology in its Oxford Street store.
According to TechRadar, the broadband provider connected a phone to the store's connection using a special 4G dongle.
It is reported that the trial could also be rolled out to other consumers in the near future as the telecommunications giant considers bidding.
Previously, it was thought that O2, Everything Everywhere, Vodafone and Three were going to be the only companies signing up to Ofcom's auction.
"Ofcom were quite explicit about encouraging new entrants into the market, which is an encouraging sign. They are looking at making the sort of spectrum that we would look to use available, not just for the big mobile operators. So there is potential here for the market to open up," a Virgin Media spokesperson told IT Pro.
"This was a technical trial, so we were testing how far it went, how robust the coverage was and the speeds it was doing. We were measuring the coverage rather than using any applications," they went on to say.
The news comes after Virgin Media announced that more than four million households will have their broadband speeds doubled, with its 120MB connection becoming the fastest in the country.
A roll-out of improvements will start next month, continuing over the next 18 months, with a completion expected by the middle of 2013.
As part of the deal, subscribers to the firm's current 10MB, 20MB, 30MB and 50MB services will have their speeds at least doubled, with those signed up to 100MB being given 120MB broadband.
"I welcome this announcement from Virgin Media; it will provide a great boost for the economy and change the way many households, consumers and businesses use the internet," said prime minister David Cameron on the announcement.
Categories: Broadband, Virgin Media
