The entire world is blanketed by cellular coverage these days, and the coverage is especially comprehensive in developed nations. British citizens were among some of the first to have access to 3G networks when these were new nearly ten years ago, but currently are lagging behind the rest of Europe and the US when it comes to 4G. There have been several issues relating to the roll-out that have slowed things down.



Most people in the UK would like 4G access sooner rather than later. In a survey done where over 2000 adults were asked for their opinion on the subject, more than 80% of then indicated that they thought 4G coverage should be provided soon. Citing reasons like keeping up with competition in other countries, their opinion was fairly clear. However, the survey did not mention whether the people queried knew about the potential problems that new coverage could cause.



Most 4G coverage uses the bandwidth at 800 and 2100Mhz. Older technologies such as 2G and 3G use different bands. The best combination of speed and distance, as well as building penetration of signals, is achieved at 800Mhz. The issue with this is that a lot of other technologies also rely on frequencies around this band, for similar reasons.



One potential problem relates to television signal boosters. If a 4G tower goes in near someone with a television signal booster, the signal could be disrupted and that household could lose all access to free channels. This could affect between 3 and 10% of the population, which is millions of people. Filters that attempt to prevent this would be used, but they are not completely effective.



Paid television could also be affected in some cases. As these are not free services, the companies would likely adapt and provide the service in some other manner. However, the companies that own the rights to offer paid television are unsurprisingly not happy with the idea, and have been leading some intense opposition to the roll-out of 4G in its current form.



Some sharing of the frequencies has been accomplished by auctioning off the favored wavelengths. Companies that have an interest in using them put up money to ‘own’ the rights to that wavelength. Most of the competition for 4G airspace has actually been between mobile providers. Some companies appear to be stalling in the hopes that several in-progress court cases will sort things out.



Trials with 4G are in progress in several cities in the UK by several large providers. However, they are not using the debated frequencies at this time. The reason that the frequencies that are so contested are so popular is that they provide larger areas of coverage with fewer towers, and penetrate buildings better. Thus, everyone wants the ‘best’ frequencies.



It seems unlikely that 4G will not come to the UK, but apparently it’s going to take its own sweet time getting here. Big companies warring with each other via auctions, courts, deals, and more can take a while to get everything sorted. 4G mobile UK seems like a giant pain right now, but most people believe that the longer-term effects will be beneficial.



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