Next generation 4G mobile phone technology has been trialled on a UK network for the first time.
Huawei has completed the first live trial of LTE (Long Term Evolution) with Telefónica O2 UK, which the network supplier claimed is the first fully operational operator LTE trial in the UK.
The system had a peak downlink rate of 150Mbit/s recorded at O2's headquarters in Slough.
But there is some way to go before the UK gets its first 4G mobile services with these levels of broadband download speeds.
"This LTE trial will allow us to better understand this emerging technology and prepare us in offering our customers next generation mobile broadband services in the future," said Derek McManus, CTO of O2 UK.
But other countries are ahead of the UK in the deployment of 4G networks and Huawei itself has deployed 25 LTE/SAE networks with tier one operators located in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
Today TeliaSonera launched 4G services commercially to customers in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway.
"We are very proud to be the first operator in the world to offer our customers 4G services. The use of mobile broadband in the Nordic countries is exploding and customers need higher speeds and capacity. This is why we launch 4G services in both Stockholm and Oslo," said Kenneth Karlberg, President and Head of Mobility Services.
The two 4G city networks cover the central city areas of Stockholm and Oslo and will be used for mobile data.
Huawei is the first of Telefonica's trial LTE vendors to have successfully implemented a live trial LTE network.
Samuel Sun, Managing Director of Huawei UK, said: "These trials will give an excellent reference to Telefónica O2 for the evaluation of LTE technology."