Galaxy S3 and Lumia 920 among first UK 4G phones on EE

Welcome to the future, kids. The mobile network formerly -- and ridiculously -- known as Everything Everywhere has stripped off a load of unnecessary letters to announce the UK's first 4G network.

The shiny new EE's shiny new 4G network will be called 4GEE (see what they did there?) -- and will launch in a matter of weeks, according to EE CEO Olaf Swantee (or should that now be SwantEE?).

EE has announced the first 4G devices that will be offered on the new network this year. They are the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE, the HTC One XL (a 4G version of the One X) and the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE. The Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 will also be offered exclusively on 4GEE, so you won't be able to buy them on contract anywhere else, for at least a while. Click through the gallery above to see the current lineup of 4GEE handsets.

iPhone-maker Apple is holding an event tomorrow where it's widely expected to be unboxing the iPhone 5 -- a device that might also include 4G and thus may also be coming to the 4GEE network. No surprises EE wasn't saying whether or not any Apple-flavoured phones will be added to its mix today.

EE also announced a couple of 4G dongles will join its launch lineup of devices -- specifically the Huawei E589 Mobile Wi-Fi and the Huawei E392 MBB Stick.

Orange and T-Mobile customers jumping up and down on the sofa for 4G joy right now should calm down. You'll need to upgrade to a 4G device and switch over to the 4GEE network to get in on the 4G action. For now, 4GEE stands apart from EE's older mobile networks, Orange and T-Mo, thumbing its nose at their slovenly 3G speeds.

Speeds on the 4GEE network are going to be up to five times faster than 3G speeds, the company reckons. It says test networks are already up and running in London, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, with 4G set to speed into 16 cities by the end of the year -- reaching a third of the population.

Cities in the front of the queue for EE's 4G are Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield and Southampton.

And if that wasn't enough, EE is also launching a high-speed fibre broadband service. So buckle up Britain, your digital data is about to get a turbo boost.

That's assuming, of course, that 4G-less rivals O2 and Vodafone don't throw an epic tantrum and muster an army of lawyers to knock the 4GEE launch deep into next year.

Are you excited for 4GEE? Will you be upgrading to get 4G? And if so, which 4G phone floats your boat? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or name your favourite 4G phone over on our Facebook page.