4G speed test to be conducted by end of 2013, says Ofcom

3G networks also to be tested to see what the benefits are of upgrading to 4G

4G speeds in the UK are to be tested at the end of the year, communications regulator Ofcom has confirmed.

Four days ago, the UK's biggest mobile operator and currently only network to offer 4G services, EE, switched on its double-speed 4G in 12 UK cities, which it claims has average speeds of 24-30Mbps.

EE said that the 4G network would now be "unequalled in Europe, faster than mobile networks in the US and Japan, and equal to the best in South Korea".

Other UK networks are now playing catch-up, with Vodafone's 4G offering to be delayed until the end of the summer. Its CEO, Vittorio Colao, claimed that its 4G service "will be better-performing" than its competitors.

But while O2, Vodafone and Three aim to launch their 4G networks, consumers have been complaining that their current 3G networks are not always up to scratch. Orange's 3G networks experienced a complete outage across the UK, just days after EE launched its 4G service, and more recently, Three experienced an outage that infuriated its users.

There has also been much debate on how fast 4G is across the country, and whether there is any reason to pay more to upgrade to a 4G contract, giving Ofcom reason to investigate and report back to consumers with its findings.

"Towards the end of 2013, we plan to conduct research to measure the performance of 3G and 4G networks, by operator, to help consumers make informed purchase decisions and better understand the performance benefits of 4G over 3G mobile services," an Ofcom spokesperson told Computing.

The results are expected to be published in spring 2014, and Ofcom added that the work is currently at the "early tendering stage".