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EE 4G out today, 700 Orange and T-Mobile shops rebranded

The UK's first 4G network has gone live, as shops around the nation paint themselves a confusing new colour.

Luke Westaway Senior editor
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway
2 min read
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The UK's first 4G network has gone live at last, giving Brits the opportunity to speed up their mobile data -- if they've got a whole load of cash that is.

From this morning, you can saunter into an EE-branded highstreet shop and tie yourself into a 4G contract. Be sure to check out our speed test of the new 4G smart phones below, which includes the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE.

The privilege of getting 4G speeds ahead of your pals will cost you dearly however -- the cheapest contract you can get is £36 per month, and that'll keep you locked in for 24 months.

Another frustrating fact is that there's no unlimited data option. The most you can get is 8GB per month, which set you back £56. Sure, you'll be hard-pressed to burn through that much data in a month, but it's a shame that a speedy network is restricted. The cheapest £36 per month tariff nets you a measly 500MB of monthly data.

The Nokia Lumia 920 -- one of the first Windows Phone 8 devices to hit shop shelves -- is going to be an EE exclusive, so if you have a burning desire to own this mobile on a contract you'd better start saving your pennies.

EE has rebranded its Orange and T-Mobile shops with big yellow EE logos, but if you're a customer on one of these other networks, the EE shop is still the place to head when you need to talk to someone. I can see EE's rapid rebranding exercise, which encompasses over 700 shops, leaving less tech-savvy shoppers feeling baffled.

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Watch this: 4GEE phones speed test