Yahoo Finance O2 Confirms 4G Launch Date And Prices
O2 is the latest mobile provider to confirm the roll-out of 4G services.
The company plans to switch on a 4G mobile network in three cities - London, Leeds and Bradford - on August 29.
The move would give up to five million people access to music and film downloads at speeds up to five times faster than 3G, O2 said.
It expects a total of 13 cities to be connected by the year's end.
The switch-on follows rival EE, which launched its own 4G services last October after overhauling its network.
O2 said customers will pay from £26 a month to access its faster network, and be offered sweeteners including 12 months' free music content.
The company, owned by Spain's Telefonica, spent £550m buying 800 megahertz (MHz) spectrum or airwaves from the Government earlier this year.
It said the low-frequency spectrum "reaches further than any other", giving the best indoor penetration and outdoor reach.
Ronan Dunne, chief executive of Telefonica UK, said: "Digital (Milan: DIB.MI - news) connectivity will be made ubiquitous by 4G and become the oxygen of modern life.
"The full potential of 4G is as yet unexplored, but what we can be sure of is that it will allow for a whole new world of opportunity that people are now ready for."
The company will announce more detail on 4G's launch in Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry, Sheffield, Manchester and Edinburgh in coming weeks.
It plans to reach an extra two million customers with 4G every month, culminating in 98% coverage of the population with 2G, 3G and 4G.
Regulator Ofcom's auction of 4G spectrum in February raised £2.3bn for the Government, less than forecast, with 3 owner Hutchison, BT (LSE: BT-A.L - news) , EE and Vodafone (LSE: VOD.L - news) the other successful bidders.
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