Vodafone signals its intent for London

Network outlines expansion plans for the capital

When this old world starts getting you down, and people are just too much for me to face.....

That's right readers, Pocket-lint has been up on the roof. And, no, not to take in the view, but to take a ganders at Vodafone's St Martin's Lane antenna site, one of hundreds that it has in the capital (and its 149th busiest).

Vodafone was showing off the site as part of an announcement about massive expansion plans for London, that will take place over the next few months.

The phone network is acting fast to "keep ahead" of the competition, according to Vodafone UK’s chief technology officer, Jeni Mundy, who was speaking at a briefing that Pocket-lint was present at.

"London is the smartphone capital of Europe", she said. "We're creating a next generation network for London".

"We need to make sure that we stay on the front foot, servicing what we know is happening and what we think will happen in the future and really create a network that London can depend on".

The reason for all this? The huge surge in data traffic of course, which has doubled in the last year and is expected to grow 75 per cent year-on-year going forward.

And it's not just mobile data where the heavy usage occurs. In London alone, Vodafone deals with over 7.5 billion voice calls and 7.5 billion text messages every year.

As a result, Vodafone is creating its next-gen network in London, with every site in town and along the M4 corridor being improved.

The improvements will lead to better capacity, better speed and more coverage for the end-users. It's all next-gen network technology ready as well. And what's more, it's all a lot more eco-friendly, with 30 per cent less energy needed.

Munday also explained how all of the UK networks are working together to make sure the Olympic venues are all set for the inevitable huge surge in traffic. She said that the infrastructure being put in place will mean that the games are not just a success for the individual networks, but a "success for the UK" as a whole.

Vodafone's London plan is ongoing, and should be complete within the "next few months".

Tags: Mobile phone industry Vodafone Phones Mobile phones

Vodafone signals its intent for London originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 13:36:00 +0000

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