Three Partners with Samsung on New 4G LTE Network in the UK

The future of smartphones, at least the immediate future of smartphones, appears to be moving from 3G networks to 4G LTE. More and more companies are embracing this new generation of cellular network and what used to be a tech that seemed far off in the future is suddenly that much closer. Now one of the biggest cellular companies in the UK, Three, has announced that it is going to be putting together its own 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

This new network isn’t going to be some nickel and dime operation if Three has anything to do with it, having just signed Samsung Electronics up for a large network infrastructure upgrade in the United Kingdom. The company has also agreed to a deal with a company known as Everything Everywhere, in which Three acquired a 1800 Mhz spectrum, a key component in launching its 4G LTE network.

Three and Samsung will partner up and Samsung will be responsible for providing an LTE Radio Access Network (RAN) as well as 3G/LTE core solutions to Three. Three says that it will now be able to focus on the development of its LTE network in the UK. Long Term Evolution networks allow for faster connections using mobile devices as well as having a far more stable signal than what the 3G networks offer.

Samsung says that as part of the deal, it will be deploying LTE stations and systems across the Three network. While there will only be 4G LTE testing by the end of this year, the two companies say they believe they will have a full working 4G network by the middle of 2013. Three believes that the network will actually be up and functional by the early part of next year. Dave Dyson, the chief executive of Three UK said, "Samsung's advanced network technology will help us to continue to deliver the most enjoyable smartphone experience."