Vodafone has delayed the launch of its 4G mobile data service until the "end of the summer", which means the UK is unlikely to see its high-speed offerings until at least September, 10 months after EE launched what is currently the UK's only 4G service.
"We are convinced our own 4G will be better performing," said Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao.
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"We want to be able to launch it when it's really ready. End of the summer means when there is going to be a good commercial window for launching it."
After shelling out £790m on part of the UK's 4G spectrum in February 2013, Vodafone had been on course to launch 4G in May or June, but later decided to hold off until Apple delivers an updated iPhone 5. The 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrums that Vodafone bid on are not currently compatible with the iPhone 5's frequency spectrum.
O2, meanwhile, is expected to wait until the end of the year to launch its own 4G service, while EE continues to storm ahead with plans to roll out an 80Mbps 4G service in 10 UK cities by the end of the summer.
