Smartphone and tablet owners living in the London Borough of Southwark can soon enjoy download speeds of up to 120Mbps, as UK Broadband (UKB) switched on an LTE network in Southwark in London on Wednesday.

UK Broadband claimed the TD-LTE 3.5GHz deployment to be the first in the world. The network built using Huawei’s Time Division Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) solution, will be providing backhaul for mobile networks.

"This is the first TD-LTE 3.5GHz deployment in the world and the first commercial 4G deployment in the UK," said UK Broadband. The retail services of the network will be handled by operators, who will receive wholesale services from UKB.

In case of large customers, like government agencies, the wireless internet service provider plans to sell the services directly. People and businesses in the South Bank and Borough parts of Southwark can expect to get the company’s 4G services from May.

Nicholas James, UKB’s CEO expressed his joy saying, "We’re very excited to be switching on our first TD-LTE system in the UK using our 4G spectrum." He added, "We’re working with Huawei because we believe they have the expertise and experience we need to deliver the best solution."

James disclosed the company’s plans to start offering MiFi-like units, for using the 4G services on the move, in September. The UKB head said that the product will be similar to a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. He revealed that Huawei will come out with a mobile phone with 4G TD-LTE capabilities in the UK next year.

Source: Techhunter