UK telecoms regulator Ofcom yesterday gave Everything Everywhere, parent company of T-Mobile UK and Orange, the green light to roll out its 4G LTE network in September. This means the UK will actually get its first taste of 4G before the big spectrum auction, which is set to take place at the end of the year (the 4G roll-out is scheduled for 2013). However, it seems Everything Everywhere won't quite be ready as soon as that.
Ofcom yesterday announced that it had issued varied licenses to Everthing Everywhere authorizing LTE services from September 11, 2012. The watchdog added that while this meant the company could launch LTE services at any point from that date, the timing of such a thing would be a commercial decision for Everything Everywhere. Speaking to Sky News, a "well-placed" source said that the company would be waiting until October before launching any LTE services.
Sky's source didn't provide much in the way of details, except to say Everything Everywhere would be rolling out the service with a 4G-specific brand, however, it's not exactly hard to believe. With September 11 just three weeks away, it's would be difficult to roll out 4G services in time for the licensing start date given by Ofcom.
No word on a specific launch date in October, nor have we heard anything regarding what this new brand might be called, but we'll keep you posted!
