O2 claims 4G rollout six weeks ahead of schedule

Mobile operator O2 claims the rolling out of its 4G network across the UK is six weeks ahead of schedule.

The company said its superfast network is now operating in 13 cities and 120 surrounding towns, with Edinburgh, Newcastle, Huddersfield and Rotherham amongst those switched on this week.

It also claims its network is now accessible to 17 million people, and that its indoor coverage now stands at 28 per cent just 11 weeks after launch.

"Our work is nowhere near finished. We're continuing to completely modernise our entire network and investing 1.5 million every day on replacing and upgrading equipment to ensure our 2G and 3G networks continue to deliver the best experience for our customers," the company said in a blog. post.

"We'll continue rolling out our 4G network at a great pace, covering an additional [three million] people over the next three months alone."

O2, along with Vodafone and Three, launched its 4G network at the end of August, nearly 10 months after its rival EE was given the go ahead to crack on with deploying its superfast services across the UK.

Thanks to the head start given to it by mobile regulator Ofcom, EE has clocked up more than a million subscribers to its 4G network, despite coming under fire initially for the high price of its services.