Report: Vodafone's 4G Launch to Coincide With That of O2

O2 last week announced plans to switch on its 4G LTE service at the end of this month and it sounds like Vodafone might be aiming for something similar. TechRadar cites The Times in reporting Vodafone will confirm its 4G network launch plans later this week. These plans apparently include a launch date that is the same week as O2's August 29 launch. The company is allegedly hoping to cross the finish line before O2 and get a headstart on the competition. Of course, you could argue that launching a few days (or even a whole week) in advance of O2 won't give Vodafone much of an edge, especially when you consider EE's massive headstart on both companies, but it will mean the company will snag the title of second to market.

O2 promised a 'mind-blowingly aggressive' roll-out earlier this year and last week said that from its August 29 launch, the company will be serving 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.

Earlier this year, telecoms watchdog Ofcom held a spectrum auction that saw multiple carriers acquire spectrum to roll out LTE service. Despite this, 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.