East Staffordshire Borough Council has welcomed the switch on of cutting edge 4G mobile services from mobile network EE in Burton upon Trent today, making the town amongst the most connected places in Europe.

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Superfast 4G mobile services – also known as LTE – are on average five times faster than 3G services and are expected to make the area even more attractive for local residents and businesses, enabling them to do more on their smartphones and tablets while on the move. EE, which also runs the Orange and T-Mobile brands in the UK, currently runs the biggest 4G network in the UK.

Independent research has found that 4G is likely to drive economic growth locally by improving business productivity and helping businesses increase mobile-commerce, while also allowing residents to quickly and easily access social network sites, stream TV and music, and access government, banking, shopping and other online services on the go.

Councillor Richard Grosvenor, Leader of the Council, said: “The arrival of 4G mobile services in Burton will be a great benefit to local businesses and residents. Now the latest generation of mobile technology has arrived, we are now an area where it is even more attractive to live, to work and to do business. The arrival of 4G makes this part of Staffordshire one of the best connected areas in the UK.”

Olaf Swantee, CEO of EE, said:
“I’m delighted that 4G is arriving in Burton-on-Trent and am looking forward to seeing it make a big difference for residents and businesses in the area. 4G will change the way that people use their smartphones, tablets and mobile Wi-Fi, both for work and for pleasure.”

4G mobile from EE is now available in 117 towns and cities across the UK, and EE is aiming for 98% of the population to be covered by the end of 2014.