EE launches UK's first 4G LTE network

Britain's biggest mobile operator, a joint venture between France Telecom's Orange and Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile, in August won approval to provide faster, next generation 4G services ahead of its rivals.

The new network will launch in a few weeks, offering 4G mobile and fibre broadband services, the company said.

The group, which is renaming itself and the network EE, said it would retain its existing Orange and T-Mobile brands.

"Orange and T-Mobile will continue to thrive," chief executive Olaf Swantee said.

EE's superfast 4G service will launch in 16 cities in the UK by Christmas, covering 20 million people – a third of the population.

These cities are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Southampton.

Nationwide 4G roll out to further towns, cities and rural areas, will follow rapidly into 2013, with 98 per cent of the UK population covered in 2014.

EE's 4G offering will put it ahead of Vodafone, Telefonica's O2 and 3 who are having to wait until next year.

The company said its superfast fibre broadband service will launch at the same time, and will be available to 11 million households and businesses by the end of the year, reaching two-thirds of UK households and businesses by the end of 2014.