Nokia Siemens Networks has been selected by O2 (Telefónica UK) to prepare its network to deliver 4G - Long Term Evolution (LTE*) - services across London and the South East of England. The UK operator is anticipating a rapid launch of 4G following Ofcom’s spectrum auctions scheduled for early 2013.

The decision to upgrade its network to 4G was made after a successful 12 month LTE network trial involving hundreds of consumers and businesses across parts of London. O2’s investment in its UK network with Nokia Siemens Networks includes an upgrade to its existing GSM and 3G (HSPA) network with the latest radio access technology.

Nokia Siemens Networks is also enabling O2’s radio access network (RAN) sharing.

“We’re investing in our network now to ensure we’re able to make 4G available to our customers as soon as possible following next year’s spectrum auctions,” said Andrew Conway, Head of Mobile Access for O2. “Our choice of vendor was based on the positive experiences we’ve had implementing Nokia Siemens Networks’ Liquid Radio solution in our network.”

Nokia Siemens Networks