O2 publishes 4G demo video

O2 and the network kit supplier Huawei have uploaded a video to YouTube showing their test 4G network in action.

In the video, uploaded on Tuesday, O2 "radio evolution" man Rob Joyce explains the concept of the long-term evolution (LTE) of 3G, generally referred to more simply as '4G'.

Although Joyce points out that LTE can theoretically hit downlink speeds of up to 150Mbps, the demo itself shows speeds of just under 8Mbps — comparable to many fixed broadband connections in the UK right now.

High-definition video streaming is shown in the video, as is real-time gaming, an application made possible by LTE's low latency.

Huawei is also the vendor behind one of TeliaSonera's Scandinavian LTE deployments, which involve real commercial roll-outs rather than tests, such as Huawei's UK tests with O2.

That said, it's still early days for the technology. TeliaSonera's deployment has seen mixed reports, ranging from disappointment (12Mbps) to delight (47Mbps), so a wait-and-see approach has its advantages. In any case, a variety of factors in the UK is making it unlikely that we will see LTE rolled out here until 2012 at the very earliest.