As O2 and Vodafone start rolling out limited 4G service to a handful of cities from today, Three has said it will launch its service in London, Birmingham and Manchester in December.

It will offer 4G to its existing customers at no extra cost, including unlimited data packages, however exact prices of tariffs have yet to be disclosed.

Telecoms giant EE has the lion’s share of the superfast internet service, when in October 2012 it successfully bid to re-license some of its existing bandwidth to the superfast internet speed. Vodafone, BT and O2 joined the 4G race earlier this year.

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, said: “While Vodafone and O2 have upped the ante with freebies such as Sky Sports and streaming music with O2 Tracks, Three has kept it simple.

“The web-savvy provider will deliver 4G at no extra cost, in the hope that offering the service with no premium – as well as the freedom of unlimited data and no hassle in getting set up – will outweigh perks from the competition.”

According to uSwitch.com, for the three 4G services already launched, plans start at £26 a month. This will get 1GB of mobile data with EE and O2, but twice as much with Vodafone which also offer customers unlimited data for the first three months.

Those signing up to O2 prior to 31st October can benefit from a ‘double data’ introductory offer for their top-end tariffs, as well as a three month trial period within which customers can downgrade if not satisfied.

Doku added: “While pricing between current competition looks pretty similar across the board, Three certainly intends to spark a price war by offering unlimited data from just £15 a month on a SIM-only plan. And with almost seven in ten consumers (68%) surveyed by uSwitch worried about racing through their allowances on 4G, Three’s offering could be just what data hungry smartphone lovers are looking for.

“Will Three’s lower cost be enough to convince customers that 4G is worth the wait? It won’t launch until December – and even then in just three cities. But with all four players now having shown their hand, some consumers may choose to play the waiting game to see if things become any more competitive.

“While there is certainly much more than simply the monthly cost to consider when making the decision – coverage is key when choosing the right network – we hope that networks begin to fight with a little more heart in order to convince customers in making the leap to 4G.”