According to the Telegraph, the company is attempting to use Wifi networks to carry voice call and data traffic, rather than a 4G-enabled mobile network, but is struggling with the technology to do so.
BT is keen to adopt this method, given that the more traffic it carries over 4G, the more the company will have to pay EE via its deal for rented capacity.
It is thought that BT has struggled with the handover between Wifi and the mobile network, and a source said: “The handover is absolutely essential for BT to do what it wants to do with mobile. It’s possible that that launch will slip into the second quarter of next year now.”
However in May this year, Gavin Patterson, CEO at BT, said that the company’s technology would be “pretty cost-effective”, and a BT spokesperson told reporters on Sunday that plans were still “on track”.
BT is also working on the finer details of turning its Home Hub router into a miniature 4G mobile mast to use 4G radio spectrum.
In August this year, BT was not even considered for an emergency services contract in the UK, thought to be one of the biggest public-sector communications contracts in recent years.
