eBay urges Ofcom to ensure LTE networks encourage mobile shopping

eBay claims UK retailers are missing out on £1.3bn of annual revenue because dodgy coverage and high data costs are stopping people from using mobile phones to make online purchases. The auction site is calling on Ofcom to ensure that next-gen LTE networks rectify those problems.

eBay's research suggests that 16 per cent of the UK is an 'm-commerce not-spot'. The research also claims that one-in-three mobile users have given up on a purchase due to issues with their network, and that those in rural areas with poor mobile reception spend 20 per cent less on mobile commerce than the national average. 

The purveyor of the nation's unwanted Christmas presents reckons that "mobile shopping could deliver a £4.5bn boost to Britain's economy by 2016 and a further £13bn by 2021."

Those dates may seem some way off, but LTE is being trialled at this very moment, with tests in Wales and Cornwall investigating the feasibility of bringing high-speed mobile broadband to remote areas.

eBay is expected to collect $4bn (£2.5bn) in mobile sales worldwide this year. Unsurprisingly, the company wants to rake in more money in the future by ensuring more people shop on their phone.

Have you ever bought anything from eBay on your phone? Let us know in the comments section below or on our Facebook wall.