Everything Everywhere Wins Permission For Faster Network in UK

Deutsche Telekom AG and France Telecom’s UK mobile-phone venture gained permission to run faster data services on its current airwaves, removing a hurdle to its plan to begin operating a so-called 4G network this year.

Everything Everywhere, the country’s largest wireless operator, can use licenses in the 1,800 megahertz spectrum to deliver the faster connections, UK regulator Ofcom said. The venture said today it still plans to deploy the long-term evolution technology, which offers faster speeds, by the end of this year. Allowing the carrier to use the frequencies will deliver significant benefits to consumers, and “there is no material risk that those benefits will be outweighed by a distortion of competition,” Ofcom said. “Delaying doing so would therefore be to the detriment of consumers.” The decision allows Everything Everywhere to get a head start on Vodafone Group Plc (VOD) and Telefonica SA (TEF), which are waiting for more frequencies to become available at an auction before starting their own faster services.