O2 forges first 4G ads, says 4G 'just around the corner'

O2's 4G service is "just around the corner." The network has begun teasing extra-fast data as it heads towards a showdown with EE.

O2 promises it will take the fight to EE, the UK's first LTE network, with the launch of 4G "this Summer".

EE, formed by the merger of Orange and T-Mobile, has had 4G LTE all to itself since October last year. The other major networks are yet to confirm exactly when they'll get into the 4G game, but it seems O2 could beat Vodafone and others to be next out of the gate.

The oxygenated network wants you to be fighting fit for 4G, so it's come up with the daft Thumbells, pictured above, to give your screen-poking protuberances a work-out.

The first 4G ad from O2 features two thumbs in a training montage heading into the ring for a 4G fight. It's surely no coincidence that the blue-hued thumb knocks out the rival in Vodafone's signature red...

Vodafone is advertising new phones as being 4G-ready, and says it will launch LTE 'by the late summer.' Three plans to go 4G too, but is adopting a more relaxed attitude to the timing.

Can O2 cancel out EE's 4G headstart? What does O2 need to do to beat EE, Vodafone and the rest? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.