- O2 switches on sites within 24 hours of acquiring the new spectrum
- The operator is planning to switch on over 1,000 sites nationwide with the new spectrum by the end of the year
- The company acquired all the available 4G spectrum in Ofcom’s spectrum auction in April
Today, O2 announces it will connect over 1,000 UK sites to new 4G spectrum by the end of 2018. The operator has already switched on sites to transmit the new 4G spectrum within 24 hours of acquiring it.
The rapid rollout follows O2’s purchase of an additional 40Mhz of 2.3GHz 4G spectrum in Ofcom’s spectrum auction, which concluded earlier this month. The company will have switched on 100 sites across the country to transmit the new spectrum by the end of April, including in London, Leeds and Nottingham.
The deployment of new 4G spectrum will reach over 1,000 sites nationwide and more than 10 cities by the end of the year. It will enhance O2’s 4G experience for customers across the UK, allowing them do more of the things they want wherever they are. The rollout plan prioritises enhancing performance on major transportation hubs in major cities, and in busy shopping areas including Westfield Shopping centres in White City and Stratford where the public has been calling for an improved service.
The additional 4G spectrum will ensure O2 can continue to meet the nation’s rapidly growing demand for mobile data. Just last year the amount of mobile data the British public uses increased more than 46%1 as consumers increasingly choose mobile devices over laptops and televisions when it comes to browsing the internet or watching their favourite programmes.
The 4G rollout is part of O2’s commitment to delivering the best mobile experience for its customers across the UK. The telecoms operator invests over £2 million per day to maintain and improve its network. In the past year alone, O2 has grown its 4G coverage to cover over 98 per cent of the UK population helping to connect even more customers to 4G mobile speeds.
Derek McManus, COO of O2, said: “We know how important a fast and reliable connection is to our customers which is why we’re putting our new 4G spectrum to use as quickly as possible. We were able to switch on the first sites within 24 hours. Our swift deployment of new 4G spectrum will further enhance the O2 experience for all of our UK customers.”
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1 – Ofcom Connected Nations report, December 2017
About O2
O2 is the commercial brand of Telefónica UK Limited and is the mobile network operator with the highest customer satisfaction in the UK according to The Institute of Customer Service. O2 was also awarded Best Network Coverage in 2018 by uSwitch. With over 25 million customers, O2 runs 2G, 3G and 4G networks across the UK, as well as operating its nationwide O2 Wifi service. O2 has over 450 retail stores and sponsors The O2, O2 Academy venues and England Rugby. Read more about O2 at o2.co.uk/news.
Telefónica UK Limited is registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 1743099.
Its registered office is at: 260 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 4DX, United Kingdom.
The post O2 to connect 1,000 locations to latest 4G spectrum in rapid rollout appeared first on O2 The Blue.
Source: O2 Blog
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