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" The UK&amp;#039;s first fourth generation (4G) mobile service from EE, the joint venture of Orange and T-Mobile, offers only patchy coverage in its test cities, according to a new report.  Mobile coverage data gathered by RootMetrics, reported exclusively by the BBC, indicated that 40.2% of the test locations had access to the 4G network.    It said that less than half of &amp;quot;urbanised Manchester&amp;quot; was covered by the superfast network, which can deliver speeds up to five times faster than 3G. Outside of the city centres in test locations there was no 4G coverage at all, according to RootMetrics.  However, EE has questioned the methodology used by RootMetrics, and the claims about Manchester, which it says were &amp;quot;wholly misleading&amp;quot;.  The mobile operator said that the classification of &amp;quot;urbanised Manchester&amp;quot; used by the organisation includes areas where it has not yet openly stated to have 4G, such as Bury, Stockport and Rochdale.  &amp;quot;RootMetrics has measured an area they choose to name &amp;#039;urbanised Manchester&amp;#039; that is considerably larger than Manchester city centre, which we have regarded as our 4G launch zone,&amp;quot; and EE spokesperson said.  &amp;quot;In Manchester city itself, roughly inside the M60, we estimate our 4G coverage is currently in excess of 80% and increasing on a daily basis as we turn on more sites.&amp;quot; Elsewhere in the report, RootMetrics found that EE&amp;#039;s 4G, delivered over the 180MHz spectrum, actually delivers much faster speeds indoors, something that had been questioned by rival operators.  Some 93% of tests conducted indoors were successful, compared with 97% of outdoor tests. The average indoor download speed was actually higher than outdoors - averaging 9.7Mbps versus 8.6Mbps - although the tests did not separate 4G from 3G coverage.  In the locations with 4G access, users were getting an average speed of 17Mbps, RootMetrics said.  It also seems that EE&amp;#039;s introduction of 4G has also boosted its 3G network, as all locations, including non-4G, had an average download speed of 7.6Mbps, around double the next fastest operator.  The survey indicated that 31% of tests revealed a speed of more than 10Mbps on mobile devices, while 9% showed 6-10Mbps and 18% 3-6Mbps.  But 23% of tests achieved speeds of just 1.5-3Mbps, equivalent to existing 3G, and 19% showed speeds of less than 1.5Mbps.  RootMetric&amp;#039;s chief executive Bill Moore told the BBC that EE4G customers should be aware not to expect superfast speeds all the time on their mobile devices.  &amp;quot;Although EE&amp;#039;s 4G service is much faster than any network currently available in the UK, our testing shows that 4G connections are not consistent even within a nominated area,&amp;quot; he said. &amp;quot;Customers need to be aware of this as there will be an expectation of blistering fast mobile internet speeds whenever they use their phones.&amp;quot; EE has now deployed 4G in 11 UK cities and intends to increase that to 16 by the end of the year.  In January 2013, Ofcom will start a major auction of mobile spectrum to enable other operators to also offer 4G mobile, expected in summer next year.  &amp;amp;gt; 4G: Is EE&amp;#039;s mobile service worth it? feature&amp;amp;gt; Three grows by more than 1m customers, looks to superfast future "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/smartphones/news/a439737/4g-tests-reveal-uneven-coverage-in-uk/>