Superfast 4G mobile broadband arrives in Cornwall

by Rob Clymo
on Wed 21 Jul 2010 6 Comments

A trial has been launched in the Caradon Hill area of Cornwall that is aimed at bringing superfast mobile broadband to the rescue of many rural internet users if tests prove successful.

Clear Mobitel, the company carrying out the trial, is using Long Term Evolution or LTE technology to do their tests. Following the switch from analogue TV to digital in the Caradon Hill area, where there is already a television transmitter mast, the company is using the spare airwave spectrum, which has become available as a consequence.

As a result, Clear Mobitel is hoping that their trialling will be able to deliver much faster 4G mobile broadband services, which could be a dream come true for rural communities used to poor or non-existent broadband speeds. While tests with LTE have revealed potential speeds to a single user of 150Mb it is thought that if you’re out in the sticks then speeds of around 12Mb to 15Mb might eventually be a realistic proposition.

A press announcement from the company has stated: "Clear Mobitel has made a very important announcement today about the UK’s first consumer trial of 4G LTE technology in Cornwall. This marks another significant milestone in the work Clear Mobitel is engaged in to find innovative solutions to answering the question as to how to provide commercially viable high speed broadband services to semi rural and deep rural consumers."

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Comments

  • happy

    by chris joseph at 12:11 on 27 Jul 2010 | registered | 1 postReport abuse

    would certainly be interested as living within a 5 mile radius of caradon transmitter
    a really good idea !!!!

  • happy

    by Pete Mortimer at 11:15 on 31 Jul 2010Report abuse

    Very good news ! - we would like to be part of any trial and will welcome the possibility of the 21st century arriving in Bodmin Moor - non users of internet do not appreciate the problems with bad or slow internet connections.

  • happy

    by Liz Wigham at 12:02 on 3 Aug 2010Report abuse

    Really interested as I can see the transmitter and can only get really bad dialup at present

  • unhappy

    by Barry Harmer at 07:17 on 10 Aug 2010 | registered | 1 postReport abuse

    I have just changed to BT after they said we could get faster connection speed than with AOL. My experience is don't listen to them. We live in St Ive and get a max 320 mps. It's terrible and cannot wait for a faster connection at an affordable and realistic price! Cannot us BT vision as the speeds are so slow. Five miles from the transmitters and just hope this idea works. The strange thing is when BT first connected us we were getting 750 mps, this is not brilliant but so much more useable. I have stated this to BT who in their wisdom say I imagined it! They have limited the band width but deny it. As more and more people are connecting I can see the system they have coming to a complete halt. ......... Cannot wait so extracate myself from the contract I have taken with them. BE WARNED!

  • unhappy

    by dmorgan at 17:24 on 16 Oct 2010Report abuse

    Just moved to Cargreen, Cornwall which is only 4 miles from Saltash. The broadband speeds are extremely slow and often lose their connection (not today!). BT say that it is because we are so far from the exchange. I still pay the same line rental and broadband costs. Surely I should pay less as I am getter a poorer service?

  • unhappy

    by Rex Grantham at 02:08 on 22 Dec 2010Report abuse

    I am 11km from the dobwalls exchange and get about 200kb if the connection doesnt cut off if there is an incoming phone call 2-10 hours later it may reconnect to BB. My daughter who lives 8 metres further than me gets 400 - 800kb more than twice my speed - work that one out if you can? After multiple engineers visits BT India just tell me to accept the situation or cancel - what a great business model.

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