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Authorities accused of hampering LTE mobile broadband rollout
James Bruce of ARM warned the UK and Europe are lagging behind many other parts of the world on LTE deployment.
The technology, often referred to as 4G, is capable of delivering true broadband-speed connectivity to devices such as dongles and smartphones via mobile networks.
In contrast, the average mobile broadband subscriber in Britain is only able to receive speeds of 1.5Mbps, compared with the UK-wide fixed-line figure of 7.5Mbps, according to research published earlier this year by Ofcom.
Writing a column for tech news site ZDNet UK, James Bruce - wireless segment manager at microprocessor design company ARM - claimed the issue has been caused by the "surprisingly lengthy" amount of time taken for the authorities to set a date for the auction of additional mobile spectrum.
The sell-off is currently due to take place in mid-2012, meaning it is unlikely that the deployment of LTE mobile broadband networks will commence until 2013 at the earliest, he stated.
Meanwhile, in North America, service providers Verizon Wireless and US Cellular have already announced plans to roll out the technology this year.
And in Scandinavia, TeliaSonera claimed it became the first network operator in the world to deploy a commercial LTE service as far back as December 2009.
Mr Bruce warned of the possibility that device manufacturers, looking to stay ahead of their rivals, could soon start producing a raft of LTE-enabled gadgets that are incompatible with the UK's mobile broadband infrastructure.
He remarked: "The LTE standards are in place and consumers around the world are starting to experience the improved data service that LTE brings. Unfortunately, in Europe network providers are lagging behind their global counterparts.
"The benefits of LTE are vast and in a digital age where consumers are now demanding a broadband-level connection wherever they are, the technology is capable of delivering this."