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Everything Everywhere keen to push on with 4G rollout
Everything Everywhere has said it is eager to begin rolling out 4G mobile broadband technology before the spectrum auction.
The carrier, which controls the Orange and T-Mobile brands, told ZDNet UK that it and the other 2G licence holders - O2 and Vodafone - could use part of their existing spectrum to start offering faster mobile broadband speeds across the UK.
It wants Ofcom to allow British networks to roll out 4G mobile broadband sooner rather than later "for the public good" - a suggestion that will be considered by the regulator during the first quarter of this year.
Under Ofcom's timetable for the launch of 4G, the auction of additional spectrum will not take place until the final three months of 2012, meaning it would take until 2013 for the first of these services to be introduced.
Rather than waiting for the sell-off to take place, Everything Everywhere said it is keen to begin the process of upgrading its network by taking advantaged of refarmed airwaves that were previously reserved for voice calls and SMS messaging.
"Everything Everywhere has made a request for Ofcom to take timely action on the liberalisation of existing spectrum (as mandated by the European Commission) to allow UK mobile operators to deliver 4G to Britain as soon as possible for the public good," the network operator explained.
However, a spokeswoman from the mobile broadband provider said it will remain unclear about whether it will be able to roll out 4G services before 2013 until it is made aware of Ofcom's plans.
According to the telecoms watchdog, demand for mobile data across western Europe is set to increase by 500 per cent over the next five years, driven by services such as video streaming, instant messaging, social networking and online mapping.