O2 4G network launches this month to take on EE

O2 is the second 4G network to launch in the UK. The new extra-fast phone data service will take on rival EE before the end of this month.

O2 will launch a 4G LTE service in London, Leeds and Bradford on 29 August, sending the Internet into phones and tablets at a faster rate than 3G -- as long as you have a 4G phone such as the Samsung Galaxy S4. Unlike EE, the O2 network won't support the current Apple iPhone 5.

The next iPhone will probably change that. In the meantime, there are a range of newer phones that will work on O2's slice of the 4G spectrum.

O2's 4G deals start at £26, but hasn't confirmed the all-important data rates. Rival network EE, the first British 4G network, offers a range of 4G deals but has taken stick for its stingey data limits, which critics say can be chewed through faster when you have faster speeds.

O2 is also giving away a year's free music with 4G deals, but hasn't confirmed exactly what that means.

After the initial launch this month, O2 plans to extend 4G coverage to Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry, Sheffield, Manchester and Edinburgh. Since launching in October last year, EE now covers 95 towns and cities in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with higher speeds available in 15 of those. So far, EE has signed 687,000 phone fans to 4G.

With EE and O2 now in the game, Vodafone is expected to be the next network to launch a 4G service, by the end of the summer. Three is also planning a 4G service, and is the only network to promise it won't charge extra for separate 4G contracts.

Are you excited about O2's arrival in the 4G game? What can O2 learn from EE? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.