London 4G trial reaches 150Mbps download speeds

O2's 4G network trial in London has achieved download speeds of up to 150Mbps and low latency rates using the 2.6GHz range of spectrum, the company has said.

O2 announced the findings from its 4G trial in London on Wednesday, the same day the UK digital TV switchover completed, making way for refarming of the 800MHz band of spectrum for 4G services.

The company said the network "has seen speeds of up to 150Mbps" but noted users were regularly achieving download speeds of between 20Mbps and 50Mbps on the live network. The company also said that latency rates were low, at less than 0.07 seconds.

The trial involved 1,000 test users in London and included 25 sites that cover an area of roughly 40sq km, stretching from Hyde Park to Canary Wharf, O2 said.

The most active participants used more than 200GB of data per month, with nothing more than the dongle or personal MiFi hotspot provided, it added.

The company hopes that the trial will stand it in good stead to launch full-scale services once the UK 4G spectrum auction takes place later in 2012.

"The forthcoming spectrum auction is a watershed moment for the UK mobile industry, releasing the airwaves that will power a whole range of exciting next-generation mobile services," Ronan Dunne, chief executive of O2's parent Telefonica UK, said in a statement. "The new spectrum will increase capacity, quality and speed and will allow us to deliver true connectivity through a suite of innovative digital services."