With LTE connectivity now a standard feature on almost every middling smartphone, it might come as a surprise that the vast majority of Brits haven't had access to a next-generation network. A little under a year ago, EE turned on the first LTE network in the country, and thanks to a complex spectrum auction peppered with in-fighting and controversy, it's taken EE's main competitors 10 months to catch up. From this morning, customers of O2 and Vodafone in select cities will finally have access to LTE, with the fourth-largest carrier, Three, remaining the only one without some sort of 4G support. So which carrier should the discerning smartph …

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Hot on the heels of O2's announcement, Vodafone has confirmed it will switch on its 4G network on August 29th - the same day as its rival. Initially, the company will only offer its LTE service in London but it hopes to extend its network to 12 more cities by the end of the year. Today's announcement sees three of the big UK carriers fully commit to 4G - EE led the charge when it launched exclusively at the end of last year - with Three and BT yet to announce their launch dates.

Vodafone's price plans will start at £26 per month for a 12-month SIM-only deal with 2GB of data. For customers wishing to order a subsidized 4G-ready smartphone, p …

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For about nine months now, EE in the UK has had an exclusive lock on LTE service, but on August 29th it's going to have company. O2 has told the BBC that it will launch its 4G service on that date in three markets - London, Leeds, and Bradford - with ten more cities slated for 4G data by year's end. Unfortunately for O2's customers, its first offering won't compare well with what EE already has up and running. It will be initially slower than the recently enhanced EE network, will cost more (O2's basic 4G tier will reportedly run £26 per month), and it won't be compatible with the current iPhone 5's LTE bands. On that last point, Telefonica …

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Having already enjoyed seven months as the UK's only LTE operator, EE has laid out the next phase of its plans to retain customers ahead of entry into the 4G market by its carrier rivals. Speaking at an event in London today, EE CEO Olaf Swantee announced that the carrier will boost the speed and capacity of its 4G network, doubling both the absolute top speed on EE's networks to over 80Mbps and average speed to over 20Mbps. Plans and prices will remain the same.

EE's top speeds will double to over 80Mbps, average speeds to reach 20Mbps

Anticipating an ever-increasing demand for more mobile data, EE says it will double the capacity of its 18 …

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Ofcom has announced the winners of its long-awaited 4G spectrum auction in the UK. Major carriers O2, Vodafone, EE, and Three have all won spectrum, and so has Niche Spectrum Ventures, a subsidiary of BT. Consumer services are expected to start rolling out in spring or summer this year, and O2's allocation of 800MHz spectrum means that it is obligated to cover 98 percent of the UK population with indoor reception by the end of 2017.

Auction falls short of government expectations

Vodafone was the highest bidder and will pay over £790 million (about $1.22 billion) for a mix of 2.6GHz and 800MHz spectrum, but overall the auction raised less mon …

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The UK's LTE adoption story has been dominated by EE so far - with the upstart network exploiting some spare spectrum to launch its 4G service ahead of the competition - but now Three has stepped up with a major pledge that will make smartphone buyers think twice. Three has just announced that it'll not charge a price premium for LTE connectivity on its smartphone price plans - that is to say, whatever you're paying for 3G today will be the same you pay tomorrow, only with the delicious prospect of LTE thrown in. The internet-centric mobile carrier doesn't have any firmer details on when that tomorrow may come, other than to say "later this …

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UK carrier Everything Everywhere is flipping the switch today on the country's first LTE service, bringing high-speed mobile broadband to 11 cities (Southampton is going live a little early), with five more coming by the holidays. And it isn't stopping there. EE says it will be adding about 2,000 square miles (or two million people) per month, eventually covering 98 percent of the country by the end of 2014.

'Fastest rollout of any UK network'

For those looking to take advantage of the faster speeds, six compatible phones went on sale earlier this month at Orange and T-Mobile stores: the Apple iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S III LTE, Nokia Lumia …

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EE has finally revealed tariff and handset pricing information for its LTE network, due to officially launch in the UK on October 30th. Those hoping for unlimited data will be disappointed, with the company instead opting for different data allowances depending on the monthly cost of your contract. All the tariffs come with unlimited calls and texts on a standard 24 month contract, with the following pricing options available:

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EE will set the UK's first LTE service live on October 30th. The network will launch in 10 cities, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Bristol, but will expand its coverage to 16 cities - or a third of the UK's population - by the end of the year. The carrier says its service will be five times faster than "typical" 3G speeds.

In a press release announcing the date, EE namedrops the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S III LTE, Nokia Lumia 920 and 820, HTC One XL, and Huawei Ascend P1 LTE as "compatible" launch handsets. It's not immediately clear if all of the devices will be available at launch, as Nokia has previously indicated …

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There's no LTE iPhone on the UK horizon just yet, but Everything Everywhere is proceeding with its planned rollout of the nation's first 4G network. Starting today, the company will rebrand itself, its network, and its consumer service to simply EE. It will combine Orange and T-Mobile's networks in the UK, however those older brands will persist and "stand alongside" EE in the future.

In simple terms, if you want 4G, you'll go with EE. Olaf Swantee, EE's CEO, introduced the new brand as "a simple, visible signal to our customers," replacing the clunkier Everything Everywhere label. EE will offer both 4G mobile connectivity and broadband fib …

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