LTE: UK: EE to launch first 4G service.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: UK: EE to launch first 4G service.

EE has confirmed it will officially launch the UK’s first 4G service at the end of this month, announcing the availability of a range of handsets that will be compatible with the new network.

EE is the new 4G brand recently introduced by the country’s largest operator, Everything Everywhere, owner of the UK arms of T-Mobile and Orange.

While the operator had earlier pledged to switch on 4G-LTE in 16 UK cities by year-end, it appears to have held off on announcing an official launch date while regulator Ofcom was involved in ‘crunch’ talks with rival operators.

Ofcom announced earlier this week that all the country’s mobile operators should be in a position to launch LTE services using new spectrum from spring 2013, five months earlier than previously planned. This was seen as an attempt to appease Vodafone and O2, which had been angered by Ofcom’s controversial decision to allow EE to refarm its 1800MHz spectrum for LTE – and therefore launch 4G ahead of rivals.

“This is a significant milestone for the United Kingdom, and for the people and businesses of our country who will now be able to enjoy the huge advantages of superfast 4G technology for the first time,” said EE CEO Olaf Swantee .

EE will launch 4G in ten cities on the 30 October, and will cover 16 cities – a third of the UK population – by the end of the year. It is aiming for 98 percent coverage by 2014.

From today, the 4G ready Samsung Galaxy SIII LTE, HTC One XL and Huawei Ascend P1 LTE will be available to buy on Orange and T-Mobile 3G price plans. They join the iPhone 5 which was launched recently. Once 4G launches, Orange and T-Mobile customers with 4G ready handsets can then choose to move across to the new 4G EE customer brand or remain on the existing 3G network.

LTE: UK to launch LTE services in Spring 2013.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: UK to launch LTE services in Spring 2013.

UK regulator Ofcom has confirmed that all of the country’s mobile operators should be in a position to launch LTE services from spring 2013, five months earlier than previously planned.

In a statement yesterday, the regulator noted: “Following discussions with TV broadcasters, Digital UK and the transmission company Arqiva, Ofcom has secured the earlier release of frequencies that were previously used for digital-terrestrial broadcasting. This spectrum will now be cleared and ready for 4G mobile services across much of the UK five months earlier than previously planned, from spring 2013. This has only become possible in the past few months as a result of the significant progress that has been made to date with the digital switchover and the clearance programme itself, which has been running ahead of schedule.”

Specifically, Ofcom said that the clearance date for TV transmitters in Oxford and Waltham – which would otherwise prevent deployment of 4G mobile services to around 9 million people in cities including London, Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield – will be brought forward by five months to May 2013. Similarly, the clearance date for transmitters which impact around 1 million people in and around Glasgow and Edinburgh will be brought forward by more than three months to April 2013.

This progress comes in the same week that Ofcom has held “crunch meetings” with UK operators. The meetings appear to have been an attempt to appease Vodafone and O2, which have been angered by Ofcom’s controversial decision to allow market-leader Everything Everywhere (EE) to refarm its 1800MHz spectrum for early LTE services – and therefore launch 4G ahead of rivals. Last month EE launched a new 4G brand and pledged to launch LTE services in 16 UK cities by Christmas.

Auctions in the ‘digital dividend’ 800/2600MHz bands suitable for 4G are expected to start in December, with official bidding taking place early in 2013.

UK: Samsung Galaxy S3 now available in Garnet Red color.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Rare and special, the gemstone Almandite Garnet was worn as an amulet by the ancient Egyptians who believed the stone contained protective powers. Garnet Red holds the delicateness and elegance of Almandite Garnet, in line with the GALAXY S III’s soft curves and smooth lines.

The Garnet Red Galaxy S III , which has been announced for AT&T in the US a while ago,  is now available in the UK SIM-free and unlocked via Expansys. 

The Red variant of Samsung’s most popular Android handset at the moment can be purchased for £429.99 ($695/€540), which is considerably cheaper than the initial cost of this smartphone. 

The specifications list of the smartphone remain unchanged, which means that users will enjoy the same large 4.8-inch screen, a powerful quad-core CPU, and the 8-megapixel photo snapper on the device’s back. You can see it listed at Expansys on this page.

LTE: Huawei launches the Ascend P1 LTE smartphone. Video promo.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: Huawei launches the Ascend P1 LTE smartphone. Video Promo.

Huawei announced availability of its Ascend P1 LTE smartphone, describing it as “the device compatible with the highest number of frequency bands”. As previously announced, it will initially be available in the UK through Everything Everywhere, with other markets set to follow.

According to the Chinese company, Ascend P1 LTE is being tested on operator networks across Europe, Latin America, North America and Asia Pacific regions. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

Earlier this year, Huawei revealed aggressive smartphone targets for 2012,looking to ship 60 million devices – compared with 20 million in 2011. Much of the growth will come from its home market, as customers transition from smartphones to feature phones.

The company is already offering a non-LTE version of the Ascend P1 worldwide, and has created a TD-SCDMA market for China Mobile.

Specifications: (Please click on the two images below to enlarge the view)

UK: Huawei plans to invest $2 billion to expand operations.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

UK: Huawei plans to invest $2 billion to expand operations.

Founder and chief executive Ren Zhengfei outlined Huawei's plan on Tuesday, when he also met Prime Minister David Cameron.

"The UK is an open market, which welcomes overseas investment. I am, therefore, very pleased today to be announcing the $2 billion investment and procurement plan, promoting the development of openness and free trade," Ren said.

Cameron, who has been targeting overseas investment to help kick-start economic growth, said: "I want to see more companies invest in the UK as we work to achieve sustainable and balanced growth within our economy.

"The British government values the important relationship with China, both countries have much to offer each other and the business environment we are creating in the UK allows us to maximize this potential."

The Huawei group said it worked with all the major telecom operators and broadband service providers in Britain, where plans for the first superfast mobile broadband service were also unveiled on Tuesday.

Three Huawei products - a smartphone, a mobile wifi hub, and a mobile broadband dongle - were included in the line-up of launch devices for the new network from operator EE.

Chinese group Huawei Technologies,is the world's second-largest telecoms equipment maker.

Reuters

London 2012 Olympics: O2 offering FREE WiFi in Central London.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

London 2012 Olympics: O2 offering FREE WiFi in Central London.

O2 has got its free outdoor WiFi running across the most popular parts of Central Londonin time for the spectacle which is London 2012. Unlike the free WiFi on London Underground provided by Virgin Media the O2 WiFi service in these areas will remain free even after the close of the Olympics and Paralympics on 9th September.

The service is available to everyone, no matter who their mobile or broadband provider is and covers High Street Kensington, Exhibition Road (V&A and Natural History Museums), Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Oxford Street (between Marble Arch and Oxford Circus), Regent Street, Piccadilly and Parliament Square.

Registering for access to the service will be a one time affair, with the network remembering your device in a similar fashion to other free WiFi networks. O2 hope to fund the free service through advertising, most likely on the landing page shown when your mobile device connects to their network for the first time on each visit.

From O2 UK:

Fast Free Outdoor Wifi now live across Central London!

We've now launched O2 Wifi across the most popular areas of Central London, from High Street in Kensington to Parliament Square in Westminster. And it's free for everyone. 

So you can now access the internet, check your emails and keep in touch on the move, when you're out and about for example while you are shopping on Oxford Street, having a break and a bite to eat in Leicester Square, watching an event in Trafalgar Square or taking in the sights at the Houses of Parliament. All on your smartphone or tablet. 

Look for O2 Wifi on your list of available networks on your device and follow the 3 easy steps to register. Then you're online. 

What you get

Access the Internet when you are out and about. O2 Wifi will give you speeds up to ten times faster than a normal mobile connection. So its as good for YouTube or uploading your photos on to Facebook as it is for email and keeping in touch with colleagues and friends. And its simple and safe to use. 

Once you've signed-up, that's it. No passwords or usernames to connect. Every time you come into an o2 wifi area, we'll connect you automatically. And it won't eat into your mobile's data allowance. Just quick Wifi, where you need it. And you don't even have to be an O2 customer to use it. 

Even if your mobile's with another network or you get your home broadband from someone else, everyone's welcome. 

Where you'll be able to get it

O2 Wifi is available in following areas from end of July 2012 (and see map):

• High Street Kensington
• Exhibition Road
• Trafalgar Square
• Leicester Square
• Oxford Street (Marble Arch to Oxford Circus)
• Regent Street
• Piccadilly
• Parliament Square

You'll also be able to use O2 Wifi in thousands of venues in London and across the UK in shops, cafes and bars.

O2UK

UK: Huawei Ascend P1 coming with Vodafone.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

UK: Huawei Ascend P1 coming with Vodafone.

Huawei is launching its “super-slim” Ascend P1 smartphone in the UK in early August on Vodafone and via various independent retailers. 

The 7.69mm-thick smartphone has a 4.3-inch screen, runs on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS and features a dual-core processor and 8MP camera. 

The Ascend P1 will be available on Vodafone price plans from £26 per month.

UK: ZTE announced the Grand X smartphone launch.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

UK: ZTE announced the Grand X smartphone launch.

ZTE announced the UK launch of its Grand X smartphone, a device first debuted last month, with availability slated for the start of August 2012 from retailer Phones 4u and MVNO Virgin Media.

Stating that the device is targeted at the “mid-tier postpaid” market, the company said it is aimed at “cost conscious” younger buyers who still want a high-performing device. Grand X is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Nvidia processor, runs Android 4.0, and has a 4.3-inch qHD screen.

Virgin Media will offer the ZTE Grand X on prepay for £189.99. Phones 4u pricing and tariffs are yet to be confirmed.

At an event in London yesterday, ZTE identified France, Germany and the UK as key target markets for its smartphone push, stating that it intends offering products targeting specific market segments.

Chris Edwards, the company’s European marketing and business development director, said: “The key thing for ZTE is making sure we know who we are targeting in the market, and making sure we are building propositions around that.”

He also said that moving forward, the company will look to build on its R&D activities to bring to market products targeting a wider range of customer segments – its presence to date having been largely confined to low-end and mid-tier smartphones.

“That extension of the product range is going to bring in new specifications, higher specifications, we’re going to reach into the use of new technologies – LTE, NFC – and this is going to widen the reach of ZTE, and further reinforce both our capabilities and the value we can bring to the market,” Edwards continued.

In order to support its efforts, the executive also said that the ambitious Chinese company is set to spend heavily to build its brand.

“One of the key elements of making ZTE a success is going to be building our brand, and building end customer recognition. And I think you’ll see over the next six to twelve months a big investment in communication, both through our key partners to their customers, and direct to the target segments we’ve chosen for specific devices,” he observed.

However, so far ZTE appears to be struggling to get support from tier-one operators. Its earlier Tania (Windows Phone) and Kis (Android) smartphones are available in the UK from MVNO Virgin, for example, rather than one of the larger mobile players.

When announced last month, ZTE said Grand X is the first in its Grand series to be available outside of China, and that the portfolio will also include an LTE version of Grand X; the quad-core Grand Era, again in 3G and LTE versions; and an Intel-powered device.

At last month’s CommunicAsia event, the company said the Grand X LTE will be available “in Asia Pacific and Europe” in the third quarter of 2012. Unlike the 3G version, this is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor.

The Grand X was previewed at the GSMA Mobile World Congress earlier this year, using the Mimosa X name.

Samsung Galaxy SIII 64GB unlocked shows up on eBay. General availabilty 2H 2012 says Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy SIII 64GB unlocked shows up on eBay.  General availabilty 2H 2012 says Samsung.

eBay is showing up a Samsung Glaxy SIII 64GB factory unlocked. The item location is the UK and ships worldwide.


The price GBP 320.16  approximately US $498.49, sold already 46 units, available more than 
10 units.


"The 64GB model of the GALAXY S III will be available during the second half of this year. The market availability and timing may vary and will be determined at the time of release."


said Samsung today. We are actually on the 2H 2012 , probably the device will be launched for late 2012, although it was announced with the 16 and 32 GB before.