Vodafone doubles mobile broadband speeds

Vodafone has announced it will be upgrading its UK network to areas of highest demand to 14.4Mbps to increase mobile broadband speeds.

While certain areas of the UK, such as London and Birmingham which are among the busiest, have already been upgraded, Vodafone is now rolling out the scheme to a larger number of locations.

However, while the move does boost speeds, it will only increase them to a typical one to four mbps, with a 'practical maximum speed' of 10.8Mb, with 14.4Mb being the theoretical maximum.

Improved stability

Vodafone is also claiming that over 80% of all its datacards, dongles and 3G handsets can take advantage of the new roll out, although nearly all of them won't be capable of operating at the higher speeds, rather they'll gain improved stability of connection.

The network also has a history of being among the first to the fastest speeds, smashing the record for 3G connectivity two years ago.

Of course, such a roll out will only be of any benefit if backhaul is improved as well (the amount of service given so more people can connect at the higher speeds), and TechRadar will be speaking to Vodafone later today to find out what measures have been put in place to carry the higher speeds.

The roll out is set to continue on an ongoing basis, so keep an eye on your Voda-phone to see if it suddenly becomes much faster.