London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow and Southampton will have access to network EE’s 4G from Tuesday morning. Other mobile networks will not be able to offer 4G until next year.
Critics have questioned the service’s affordability – particularly with regard to data usage allowance. Belfast, Derby, Hull, Newcastle and Nottingham will be active by Christmas, the company said.
Network EE, formerly known as Everything, Everywhere and which owns Orange and T-Mobile in the UK, has promised speeds of between 8 to 12Mbps – up to five times faster than third generation mobile technology, known as 3G. The extra speed and capacity allows for high-quality streaming of audio, video and other content while on the move.
The company said as well as giving customers faster internet, 4G would also be of big benefit to businesses.
However, such benefits come at a cost – the entry tariff of £36 per month includes 500MB of data, beyond which an add-on cost must be paid if the user wishes to carry on using the internet on their mobile.