EE has extended its 4G data network coverage to 12 more towns and cities, expanding its reach to 62 in total and can therefore boast that more than 50 per cent of the UK population can get a 4G signal.

It has added Blackpool, Huddersfield, Aylesbury, Berkhamsted, Billericay, Brentwood, Dewsbury, Lytham St Annes, Marlow, Pontefract, Thame and Windsor to its line-up and promises to continue rolling out the service wider until it covers 80 towns and cities by the end of June.

The network's head start over rivals, who will start to rollout their own 4G services in the summer on the two spectrum bands allocated during the recent auction, means EE is on course to meet its 70 per cent coverage target by the end of 2013.

EE will also be launching double-speed 4G services in the summer, which will add download speeds of 80Mbps plus to Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield.

"Our rollout of the country's first 4G mobile network is continuing at a great pace to ensure that we are connecting people right across the UK to one of the fastest mobile networks in the world, as quickly as possible," said Olaf Swantee, CEO.

"Consumers and businesses in the UK use mobile internet more than any other market, and rely on it for long commutes; there is a demand for the best mobile services, and we're working to meet that demand. We're committed to rolling out 4G to 98 per cent of the population by the end of 2014, and that includes the double-speed 4G that will launch this summer."