O2 has become the second major mobile company to announce the release of a 4G network, with its launch set to take place on 29th August.

The 4G network offers far higher speeds than 3G and will initially launch in three cities: London, Leeds and Bradford.  The network has announced that it plans to launch 4G in a further ten cities by the end of the year.

The only competition for O2 is EE, which has already launched its own 4G network to 95 cities.  EE also offers a cheaper basic tariff than O2.  The cheapest tariff on O2 is £26 per month, whereas the cheapest rate for EE is currently £21 for voice and data or £15 for just data.

Ronan Dunne, the chief executive of Telefonica – the Spanish company that owns O2 – said that the company was aiming to match the same launch speeds that EE had achieved.  He did admit, however, that O2 would be unable to initially match the speeds set by EE’s recently launched ‘double speed’ 4G network.

One move that may surprise consumers is that the new 4G network will not initially be compatible with Apple’s iPhone 5; however, Mr Dunne said he would be “frankly gobsmacked” if this was not addressed further down the line.

Vodafone and Three have also said that they intend to launch 4G services by the end of the year; however, O2 is the first of the three remaining companies to actually set a date for the launch.

To find out more about 4G, contact Synergy Mobile today.