O2 to Launch UK's 2nd 4G Network On 29 August

The UK isn't exactly spoiled for choice when it comes to 4G LTE service. Though telecoms watchdog Ofcom held a spectrum auction that saw multiple carriers acquire spectrum to roll out LTE service, Everything Everywhere remains the sole provider of 4G in the country. The company has had its network up and running since last autumn after receiving special permission to repurpose some of its existing spectrum for 4G. However, it seems EE is about to get some company.

O2 UK has announced that it will switch on its 4G LTE service at the end of this month. The carrier promised a 'mind-blowingly aggressive' roll-out earlier this year and it seems the company is keen to make good on its word. The company today boasted that its roll-out will make it the fastest growing 4G network in the UK. From launch day, August 29, the company will serve up to five million people thanks to simultaneous roll-outs in London, Leeds and Bradford. The company hopes to make it to 13 cities by the end of the year, making the technology available to an additional two million people per month, eventually reaching 98 percent of the UK population with its 2G, 3G, and 4G network.

“It’s great that I am able to announce O2 4G the day after the spectrum has been cleared for use," said Ronan Dunne, CEO of O2 UK. "Digital connectivity will be made ubiquitous by 4G and become the oxygen of modern life. It is our intention to use 4G to inspire the nation through the possibilities of technology, encouraging people to live more, do more and be more with O2."

O2 is offering customers 12 months of free music content when they buy a 4G consumer tariff direct from the carrier with additional details on its 4G offerings to be unveiled over the coming months. If you're in London, Leeds, Bradford, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry, Sheffield, Manchester or Edinburgh, you'll have 4G by the end of this year.