O2's London 4G trial marks a bright spot for UK's beleaguered 4G market

O2's nine-month trial of a live 4G network across London is one of the few positive headlines about 4G in recent months.

The debates around 4G spectrum have dragged on for years, and Ofcom was recently forced to push back the already delayed auctions for the spectrum to the end of 2012. Live networks are not expected until 2014, and the government has voiced concerns with the delays.

Nevertheless, operators are pushing on with 4G trials. O2 has established a test network in Slough, Arqiva is running a demonstration 4G system in west Wales and Everything Everywhere and BT have teamed up to test a network in Cornwall.

The notable difference with O2's trial is the location. Rob Joyce, head of 4G trials at O2, told V3 that running a network across London will provide a good understanding of how 4G will cope in built-up, highly populated regions.

"London is one of the most data-demanding cities in the world, perhaps second only to Tokyo, so we really want people to use as much data as possible so we can see how it performs and note any glitches that may occur," he said.

"Glitches are most likely to occur with regards coverage, rather than capacity, as the network in London should be able to handle around one million users."

Over 1,000 people are expected to take part in the London trial, which is using the 2.6GHz spectrum across 25 sites (see map below).