Moves to massively boost mobile phone speeds are under way ? but a wireless technology consultant has warned that Britain faces 'postcode 4G'.
Proximity to phone masts will still be factor in the speed of 4G
Phone operator O2 and Chinese firm Huawei said they achieved a cell downlink rate of 150 megabits per second (Mbps) during a trial in Slough, Berkshire.
It dwarfed current mobile broadband access in the UK, which normally peaks at about 7.2Mbps.
Mobile phone users may hope the development will stop dropped-off calls, stuttering video streaming and stalled web pages.
But Dr Mark Heath, of Unwired Insight, said speeds with 4G will still be reliant on people's proximity to a mobile phone transmitter base station.
He told Sky News Online: "Current technology called HSPA allows you to have 7.2Mbps, but the reality of it is you may be able to get near this speed only if you're extremely close to a base station.
"Typically, users are getting something in the order of 1 to 1.5Mbps.
"Under Long Term Evolution (LTE) or 4G, it will increase the maximum speed - if you get very close to a base station.
"We must not get too hung up on superfast cellular networks - they still have a long way to go with base station coverage.
'Networks still have a long way to go'
"In urban areas, you are not going to suddenly see mobiles better than fixed (-line broadband)."
Dr Heath said networks in Japan have "100% population coverage" due to the country?s large number of base stations.
The Far East nation will be one of the first to adopt 4G and "in, some ways, it is several years ahead" of the UK, he said.
"(The 4G trials are) just the start. You are not going to get someone flicking a switch and every one says, 'It's amazing and so much better,'" Dr Heath said.
"It requires a lot more money and investment."
When asked about base stations, an O2 spokesman told Sky the 4G trials were ongoing and it is not in the "network planning stage" yet.
Dr Heath added that another major factor in improving phone speeds was the amount of radio spectrum allocated to mobile networks.
He said: "HSPA phone services use 5 megahertz of spectrum - the next generation use up to 20.
"So operators have got big decisions to make. Deploying on a small amount of spectrum will not improve speeds dramatically, but it will be enhanced as more spectrum is made available."
Proximity to phone masts will still be factor in the speed of 4GPhone operator O2 and Chinese firm Huawei said they achieved a cell downlink rate of 150 megabits per second (Mbps) during a trial in Slough, Berkshire.
It dwarfed current mobile broadband access in the UK, which normally peaks at about 7.2Mbps.
Mobile phone users may hope the development will stop dropped-off calls, stuttering video streaming and stalled web pages.
But Dr Mark Heath, of Unwired Insight, said speeds with 4G will still be reliant on people's proximity to a mobile phone transmitter base station.
In urban areas, you are not going to suddenly see mobiles better than fixed.
Dr Mark Heath He told Sky News Online: "Current technology called HSPA allows you to have 7.2Mbps, but the reality of it is you may be able to get near this speed only if you're extremely close to a base station.
"Typically, users are getting something in the order of 1 to 1.5Mbps.
"Under Long Term Evolution (LTE) or 4G, it will increase the maximum speed - if you get very close to a base station.
"We must not get too hung up on superfast cellular networks - they still have a long way to go with base station coverage.
'Networks still have a long way to go'"In urban areas, you are not going to suddenly see mobiles better than fixed (-line broadband)."
Dr Heath said networks in Japan have "100% population coverage" due to the country?s large number of base stations.
The Far East nation will be one of the first to adopt 4G and "in, some ways, it is several years ahead" of the UK, he said.
"(The 4G trials are) just the start. You are not going to get someone flicking a switch and every one says, 'It's amazing and so much better,'" Dr Heath said.
"It requires a lot more money and investment."
When asked about base stations, an O2 spokesman told Sky the 4G trials were ongoing and it is not in the "network planning stage" yet.
Dr Heath added that another major factor in improving phone speeds was the amount of radio spectrum allocated to mobile networks.
He said: "HSPA phone services use 5 megahertz of spectrum - the next generation use up to 20.
"So operators have got big decisions to make. Deploying on a small amount of spectrum will not improve speeds dramatically, but it will be enhanced as more spectrum is made available."
