Everything Everywhere and Nokia reportedly readying exclusive UK LTE deal with 4G Lumia 920

4G mobile internet access is heading to UK customers in the very near future, after Everything Everywhere received the green light from Ofcom to roll out its LTE network ahead of competitors. The Financial Times is reporting that Nokia are preparing to partner with Everything Everywhere in a bid to launch their recently announced Lumia 920 smartphone as the UK’s first 4G smartphone.

The exclusive deal could mean 4G LTE access to Nokia Lumia 920 customers as early as November, when the handset is expected to launch here in the UK. Way ahead of the proposed 2013 LTE rollouts planned by other competing UK mobile networks.

This deal is exactly the kind of differentiating feature Nokia needs in order to drum up interest in their new flagship Windows Phone 8 device. With such strong competition in the smartphone market from Apple, Samsung and HTC, an LTE exclusive will attract a huge amount of interest.

The iPhone 5, expected to be announced this Wednesday, has been widely rumoured to carry LTE functionality, but with Everything Everywhere currently the only company cleared to operate an LTE network in the UK, the iPhone 5 will be limited to current 3G networks only.

Exactly how long Nokia’s exclusive LTE deal will last is anyone’s guess, though we might not have to wait very long to find out. Everything Everywhere are holding an event tomorrow to discuss their ‘next-gen network’ in more detail, one day ahead of Apple’s new iPhone announcement. Tomorrow’s event is likely to be the reason why we are hearing these reports today.

Despite the huge speed benefits of 4G LTE mobile internet, it’s still unclear exactly how the UK public will react to the technology. Reduced battery life is a big downside to LTE at the moment, capable of draining a phone’s battery in a matter of hours. With smartphone’s barely lasting a full day, even when used conservatively, this could seriously limit mass adoption of 4G.

Of course, technology enthusiasts will be excited to finally get LTE in the UK, and mobile store sales teams will be eager to use the 4G label to help sell even more expensive handsets, but do most consumers really need 4G speeds right now? Not really, no.

4G will be more of a luxury feature than a requirement. Most users do little more than download apps, music and YouTube videos, alongside browsing the web – activities that 3G is more than capable of supporting. There will be a small, albeit significant, number of people who will require LTE connectivity for mobile computing, but we are talking a very small percentage of the general population. Then there is the problem of network coverage. At such an early stage in LTE rollout, most of the UK will have little to no 4G coverage whatsoever.

At the end of the day, LTE speeds are not essential for getting a majority of tasks done using our mobile devices, especially if it means sacrificing battery life along the way. In a year or so, when LTE’s predictably high prices drop, coverage improves and mobile data requirements increase, perhaps then we’ll see mass adoption of our next generation mobile speeds.

Until then a handful of LTE devices, spearheaded by the 4G Lumia 920, will capitalise on 4G exclusivity. Hopefully, this will help Windows Phone 8 gain greater traction in the UK smartphone market and providing consumers with more competitive pricing and increased innovation.

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• http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=631522924 Darcy O’Bree

  Such a move would sign Nokia’s death warrant. Surely they need to be in as many shops as possible if they want to survive. It would certainly mean no new Nokia for me. There is nothing that would ever get me back on Orange. Worst network in the UK by a long mile.

• http://www.facebook.com/andrew.humphrey.9085 Andrew Humphrey

  I switch to GSM when I don’t need fast data, which is most of the time. Surely the user could do the same on a 4G-enabled handset?

• http://www.tumblr.com/blog/spitefuel Spitefuel

  Some simple facts. Orange isn’t a single brand anymore. Its network is with T-mobile and is therefore the largest single network in the UK. It also has the most coverage at the moment (until the deal with O2 and Vodafone reaches completion).

  I’m not a fan of the network but anyone who thinks Orange is the “worst network” has clearly not suffered the appalling network coverage and even worse customer service (or abuse as it should be known) of Three. This is not just my opinion this is backed up with customer satisfaction surveys. Something certain commentators on here should look at rather than relying on their limited anecdotal experience.

  The Lumia is a pretty good device and the 3G version has a much larger battery capacity than most other smartphones so perhaps the 4G will actually be comparable with the iPhone and Galaxy? The best battery life is probably with the BlackBerry but only the most truly desperate and impoverished user would want to suffer that awful operating system and complete lack of functionality.

  The important thing to consider is whether these high speed services are going to reach the rest of the country or like so much advances be wasted on a stagnant London market.

• lumpaywk

  I have not had any experiences with Orange but T-Mobile rock and they are both now EE, have you been on them since they changed? They have the best prices and network in the UK. As for shops i agree that they need to be flooding the shops but they tried that with the old Lumia’s what you get with exclusive deals is a company that wants to push your device. Also being EE that means they will be in both the old orange and t-mob ships as well as p4u and cpw. Leaving only O2 Voda and 3 who will each be carrying the 820 anyway. I think if they can price themselves right and catch this buzz wave before it dies out then Nokia are on for a win.