O2 and Vodafone are set to pool their resources in a bid to speed up the deployment of super-fast 4G mobile broadband infrastructure.

The mobile operators have pledged to boost 2G and 3G coverage in urban and rural areas to 98 per cent of the indoor population by 2015, in a move that they claim will "lay the foundations" for two competing 4G networks.

It will allow a nationwide 4G service to be deployed faster than if the two companies were to work independently.

Ofcom's second consultation on the use of the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum bands for 4G included proposals for one of the 800MHz licences to deliver 98 per cent indoor coverage by 2017.

Under the carriers' plans, both will have access to a single grid of 18,500 masts, representing an increase of more than 40 per cent for each operator.

Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, chairman and chief executive of O2's parent company Telefonica Europe, said: "We are committed to providing the very best networks which will not only help facilitate this transition, but at the same time help to deliver Digital Britain and provide our customers with the very best connectivity."

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