Mobile working has only been made possible due to advancements in technology in recent years, but as devices improve at a fast pace, internet capabilities must do the same.
Now Everything Everywhere, which is the company that owns both Orange and T-mobile, has announced plans to roll out 4G across the UK.
4G stands for fourth generation, which is the next step up from the 3G mobile broadband connections that are widely available in the UK at the moment.
There has been much speculation about when Britain might get 4G and widespread calls for it, especially in businesses where time is of the essence and speed is everything.
Olaf Swantee, chief executive of Everything Everywhere, said: “We really need it. By the end of the year, the UK will be back in line with other countries.”
That is as long as the proposals are given the go ahead by regulators in the spring, who have the power of veto should they see fit.
Everything Everywhere has £1.5 billion set aside to upgrade its network and some of this will be spent on 4G provision, which is likely to be put in place in the fourth quarter.
So far 4G broadband has been tested in Cornwall with the next set of trials likely to be held in Bristol from April.
Faster mobile broadband would allow flexible and mobile workers to be more productive as they use the internet from devices such as smartphones and tablets.
With the amount of data downloaded increasing all the time it is important that the broadband capacity exists in order to accommodate it all.
Last year Everything Everywhere saw data levels go up by 150 per cent and has predicted a similar rise in 2012.
It will not just be Orange and T-mobile customers who will be privy to 4G when it is rolled out but also Virgin which utilises the same network.
In the past the UK has been at the forefront of mobile innovation, but in terms of 4G has recently fallen behind.
