The UK's first customer trial of 4G mobile broadband technology in the north of England has commenced in Cumbria, Everything Everywhere (EE) has announced.

Local businesses in and around the village of Threkeld are using routers and mobile broadband dongles to test the operator's 4G service, which is achieving speeds of 20Mbps.

EE chose the area as the location for the pilot scheme because existing broadband services are unreliable, or in some cases non-existent.

The communications provider explained that the live trial will be crucial to understanding how 4G will work in real-life conditions, with speeds affected by everything from geographical terrain to building density.

Olaf Swantee, chief executive of EE, said: "Business will benefit hugely from fast mobile broadband connectivity and the growth, investment and jobs that it will deliver."

EE has also trialled 4G technology in Cornwall, in collaboration with BT.

The project involved the two companies combining their fixed-line and mobile infrastructure to deliver wireless broadband across an area covering 25sq km.

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