The favourable outcome of yesterday’s talks between Ofcom, EE, its rival networks and the government have prompted EE to reveal the launch date for the UK’s first 4G network as 30 October. When EE first laid out its plans, it didn’t offer a fixed date, saying only that it would be in the coming weeks.

EE however, isn’t just going to say a date and let that be the end of it, as in a statement the network promises to hold a press event “shortly” to announce full details on the new network.

The initial press release also says that EE’s 4G service will be launching in 10 cities on October 30, six more than the planned initial rollout into London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bristol.

A further 16 were expected by the end of the year, so the slight delay while the legal wranglings were dealt with has obviously given EE time to increase coverage. Exactly which 10 cities it will be isn’t known.

A selection of 4G LTE smartphones will go on sale today from EE. These are the Samsung Galaxy S III LTE, the HTC One XL and the Ascend P1 LTE. The Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE will join them on 15 October.

All we need now is confirmation of EE’s tariffs and the cost of the 4G devices, and we’re all ready for the UK’s first high speed, 4G LTE data network. It has taken a long time to arrive, but the end is in sight.