Vodafone’s 4G services will initially be available in 5 cities - Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Kilkenny - and 26 towns by Christmas (you can see the full list here). Given the fact that 4G compatible phones are only slowly becoming widely available, Vodafone will also be improving their nationwide 3G service and coverage alongside the rollout of their 4G technology. 4G will initially be available to bill pay customers, with prepaid plans expected next year.

4G provides notably increased download speeds (typically up to twice as fast as 3G), as well as major improvements in upload speeds (upwards of ten times faster). However, only a limited number of handsets currently support the technology, such as the latest Samsung Galaxy models and the HTC One. Vodafone has provided a list of compatible phones available on their network. While the iPhone 5, 5s and 5c all support 4G - also known as LTE - Apple has not yet certified Irish 4G networks for use with the phones.

Meteor & eMobile launched their 4G services last month for bill pay customers. o2’s full 4G launch has been delayed until next year as the network is in the process of being acquired by 3 owners Hutchison Whampoa, although their service has been trialled in locations such as Dublin’s Docklands area.