BT has been searching for a partner in the field, and will reportedly build a high-capacity transmission network for Telefónica UK’s mobile unit, O2, to help it address the growing demand for mobile data.
“With the UK’s 4G spectrum auction complete, UK mobile data traffic is set to grow by more than 400% by 2016,” said Adrian Di Meo, CTO at O2 UK.
O2 has noted an increase in customer downloads and internet application usage on smartphones and tablets, and BT’s transmission network is designed to provide greater backhaul capacity through high-speed backhaul links.
“Our network solution will help O2 to deliver a next-generation mobile experience to their customers to fully exploit the exciting possibilities of 4G technologies,” said Chet Patel, managing director of BT Wholesale Markets.
“We are moving quickly to get O2 4G up and running.”
The transmission network is also expected to allow O2 to deliver new applications to its customers, as well as reducing total transmission costs.
“Through our partnership with BT Wholesale, customers of O2 will be backed by a high-performance mobile internet network which we believe will release the potential of 4G services and result in unrivalled mobile phone and internet browsing experiences,” Di Meo added.
