Superfast 4G network by Christmas

4G will give users uninterrupted fast access to the internet (Reuters)

A "superfast" mobile phone network that allows users to watch live television seamlessly and download films in minutes will be available to 20 million people by Christmas, it was announced yesterday.

In a surprise move, Everything Everywhere, the parent company of Orange and T-Mobile, said it had switched on its fourth generation of mobile phone networks, 4G, in certain parts of the country. The company said 16 cities, including London, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, would be connected within months.

Everything Everywhere claims the new network, called EE, will be five times faster than the quickest phone network available in the UK, 3G. Existing Orange and T-Mobile customers and subscribers to other networks will have to buy a new handset. The firm did not say how much those packages would cost, but announced the handsets available: the Samsung Galaxy SIII LTE, smartphones by Nokia, HTC and Huawei, and possibly the iPhone 5 – which is expected to be launched by Apple today.