EE smartphone owners will soon benefit from average 4G connection speeds of 20Mb in ten cities across the UK, the carrier has announced, doubling the previous speed the network claimed to deliver.

EE has confirmed it is doubling the amount of 1800MHz spectrum bandwidth dedicated to 4G from 10MHz to 20MHz. The move will increase capacity and provide customers with headline speeds of up to 80Mb, up from 40Mb previously.

The ten cities where the supercharged service will be available this summer are Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield, with plans to extend its reach at a later date.

Olaf Swantee, EE Chief Executive, said: "We are ensuring that the UK remains at the forefront of the digital revolution.

“Having already pioneered 4G here, we're now advancing the country's infrastructure again."

Existing EE customers in locations where the speed is being doubled will pay no extra for the faster connections.

According to the UK’s sole 4G operator, 25 per cent of customers are signing up for 4G. The company is targeting 4G subscriber numbers of one million by Christmas.

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Nokia has pulled the wrapper off its latest budget blower at a press event in India.

The Nokia Asha 501 runs on a spanking new platform, based on the Finns’ much-loved MeeGo OS and recent acquisition Smarter Phone.

Revealed on stage in New Delhi by Nokia top bod Stephen Elop, the Asha 501 looks set to boost the ailing company in vital emerging markets. The phone only has two parts, with the aim of making it more durable.

What’s more, there’s a dual SIM version being released, with the ability to load up a second micro SIM card without having to yank off the back of the device.

That’s bound to fuel demand for business-focused punters who have two numbers, but don’t want two phones.

Along with a snazzy new interface, with a so-called fast lane to show off apps being used at any given moment, there’s also Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare, LinkedIn and Twitter baked right in.

That’s a major move for such a basic device and should give Nokia the edge over other budget blowers.

Throw in a battery that can chew through 17 hours of talk time and 80 hours on standby on one charge, and the Asha 501 has all the ingredients to slap down top-selling cheap Android phones.

Not to mention a certain cheap handset being primed by Apple

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