CWU welcomes O2 4G trial

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CWU – the union representing workers in the telecom and mobile sector – welcomes O2’s 4G trial which will cover 40 square kilometres of London.

Andy Kerr, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “We warmly welcome the launch of O2’s 4G trial across London. Clearly, this is good news as it’s about trialling future technologies and assessing new capabilities.

“With the explosion in demand for smartphones and data downloads on the move there’s a desperate need for increased spectrum to service this rapidly growing market. This trial is one part of essential investment in 4G which will potentially bring large dividends to mobile companies.

“When the auction for 4G spectrum takes place next year we want to see a plan which ringfences some of the income to be used for universal access to broadband, addressing the problems which the digital divide will bring to businesses and services across the UK.”

Consumers, businesses and venue owners will be provided with the latest 4G technology as part of a nine-month trial so the firm can collect information about the performance of the network and receive feedback from users.

The initiative has been welcomed by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.