Telefonica to Test 4G LTE Networks in Six Markets [Spain, UK, Germany, the Czech Republic, Brazil and Argentina to go through LTE Testing]

Carriers and manufacturers out there are slowly but surely getting ready for the future of mobile communications. 3G is not enough anymore and people are looking forward for 4G technologies. Telefonica, the giant carrier that happens to be O2’s parent, seems to like LTE as a 4G solution and it will therefore start testing it in six countries soon. These are Spain, UK, Germany, the Czech Republic, Brazil and Argentina.

So what is LTE and why do we want it in our lives? LTE stands for Long Term Evolution and it’s a term you’ll be getting used to soon as it will become a worldwide standard. LTE is basically the natural upgrade of UMTS and it will be able to offer, at least in theory, downlink speeds of at least 100Mbps if not more. We are however a long way until we’re going to see sufficient LTE network deployed to start enjoying faster data speeds and better calls quality. LTE is cheaper and easier to develop and worldwide carriers should be able to upgrade their current networks faster. In theory, that’s good news for us, their faithful subscribers, but we shall see how things turn out once dependable LTE networks are in place and we’ll be given the keys to LTE heaven.

Various carriers are toying with LTE and Telefonica is certainly one of them. The company has publicly announced that it has signed various agreements with six LTE technology providers which will help with LTE testing in the countries mentioned above. Telefonica will work with Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NEC, Nokia Siemens Network and ZTE. The testing will run over at least six months and should help the carrier devise a viable LTE strategy for the following years.

Telefonica mentioned peak speeds of up to 340Mbps in “ideal conditions” but you and I both know that’s going to be highly unlikely in real conditions. The company has successfully made the first VoIP call over LTE in Madrid last April and the actual speed was more than 140Mbps or 10 times faster than what we can expect from HSPA right now.

And just before you go ahead and check out the full press release, I’ll answer a question a popular question for you. No, you won’t be required to change your 3G phone with an LTE handset. 3G will still be available together with LTE so there are no worries there. But you will definitely want to choose LTE instead of 3G at some point in the not so distant future!