EE to bring 4G to 29 more towns and cities by Christmas

EE is to extend the coverage of its 4G network to another 29 towns and cities by Christmas, bringing the total number of locations where its next-generation network is accessible to 160.

The mobile operator has rolled out services to Bath, Bournemouth, Brighton, Cambridge, Darlington, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Northampton, Poole, Portsmouth and Redcar today. At the time of writing, 131 towns and cities were already hooked up to its superfast network.

Over the next three weeks EE also plans to bring 4G to Aberdeen, Braintree, Cheltenham, Chester, Dundee, Durham, Exeter, Gloucester, Grimsby, Ipswich, Lincoln, Middlesbrough, Norwich, Peterborough, Plymouth, Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea, Swindon and York.

EE chief executive Olaf Swantee said 4G uptake was allowing users to make better use of their mobiles.

"From online banking and mobile shopping, to streaming music and using maps, 4G is enabling us to do more of our favourite things quickly and easily on the go," he said.

"Smartphones and tablets on 4GEE are going to be a very popular present this Christmas as people across the UK continue to embrace mobile living and we make the superfast service available in even more places."

EE has managed to gain a head start over its rivals in the 4G rollout stakes, thanks to Ofcom letting it reuse its existing spectrum to run its 4G services. The mobile operator switched on its 4G network in October last year.

Earlier last month, Ofcom floated the idea of 5G networks as an answer to the UK's insatiable demand for mobile connectivity. These networks would use spectrum in the 700MHz band, which is currently being used for television signals.

Vodafone and O2 switched on their 4G networks earlier this year in August. Mobile operator Three hopes to have its 4G network up and running by the end of the year.

Have you voted in the 2013 IT Pro Awards? Cast your vote here.