4G or not 4G, that is the question for Norfolk mobile users

Norwich has not been included in the first batch of UK cities which will be supplied with the new 4G mobile internet speeds.

EE, formerly known as Everything Everywhere, has announced it will launch its range of 4G products and services in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester.

The 4G network, which offers speeds up to five times faster than 3G, will be available on the Apple iPhone 5 as well as devices from HTC, Samsung, Nokia and Huawei.

EE customers in a further six cities - Belfast, Derby, Hull, Newcastle, Nottingham and Southampton - will have access to 4G by the end of the year.

A spokesman for EE confirmed there is not an exact date planned for Norwich to get 4G, or for other parts of Norfolk, but the group plans to roll out the service to further towns, cities and rural areas in 2013.

It aims to provide a population coverage of 70pc next year, which will rise to 98pc in 2014, with rival operators able to launch their 4G services from next spring.

EE’s 4G prices have already been criticised however, with the cheapest EE tariff of £36 per month offering just 500mb worth of downloads each month - the equivalent to two one-hour programmes on the BBC iPlayer.