4G – it’s happening, but what does it mean for business?

With the recent 4G spectrum auction along with our successful bid hitting the headlines, it’s an exciting time here at O2.

But what does it all mean for businesses in the UK?

Making Britain Digital

There’s been talk of ‘Making Britain Digital’ for some time now, but it’s been slow to get off the ground. The wider roll out of 4G will fuel opportunity to make Digital Britain a reality. By investing in the 800MHz spectrum, our customers will benefit from widespread coverage. In fact, because of our network investments, by the end of 2015 we are aiming for indoor 4G coverage that will reach 98% of the UK. And we’re using the opportunity to upgrade our entire network, so even customers who stay on our 3G network will see a significant improvement in coverage.

Business opportunity

But it’s how businesses use the opportunity that 4G brings that’s key. The powerful capabilities and widespread  coverage will enable businesses everywhere to build better relationships with their ‘always-on’ customers.

It’ll enable people to work on the go or off-site more easily, with quicker downloads, fast access to business systems and the ability to view training videos or make video calls easily from mobile devices without them freezing or buffering. It’ll enrich collaboration between office and field workers with high quality communication. And it’ll improve the way businesses engage with customers, giving them the ability to offer support and advice in new ways – with two-way video, for example.

Enhancing mobility

According to Ofcom, 58% of the population owns a smartphone¹. And through Telefónica’s deal with Mozilla to create low-cost, open platform smartphones, we hope to make that number even bigger.

When Digital Britain becomes a reality through 4G, businesses can enhance the way they deliver services, advertise, market and sell. Using mobile platforms, customers can be targeted with even more timely and relevant services. Solutions like mobile wallet, which enable people to pay in stores using their smartphones, will become a part of life. And location-based services like Priority Moments, that show local deals to people in that area, will become even more widespread and built-in to customer’s shopping habits. Customers will get a better service as your employees are untied from their desks, and wider use of video calls will also enable a stronger relationship to be built and cut down the amount of travel that people have to make.

Untying the binds

Going forward, businesses that also embrace cloud technology will benefit the most. There’ll be no need to keep investing in expensive hardware and network infrastructure – upgrades and migration cycles could become a thing of the past.

To find out more, visit o2.co.uk/enterprise or call Matt Worth on 01235 433 507.

¹ Ofcom, 2012.