EE has announced plans to double its 4G LTE network speeds in ten U.K. cities by the summer. The move will boost headline speeds to 80Mbps, and increase the average speed to 20Mbps for both new and existing subscribers. The carrier says this is part of its ambition to “stay one step ahead” as rival carriers prepare to launch their own 4G networks in the coming months.

EE is currently the only 4G provider in the U.K., but rivals Vodafone, Three, and O2 will also be joining the 4G party throughout 2013. In an effort to remain one step ahead, EE is looking to improve its service by boosting 4G speeds.

“We are ensuring that the UK remains at the forefront of the digital revolution,” said EE CEO Olaf Swantee. “Having already pioneered 4G here, we’re now advancing the country’s infrastructure again with an even faster, even higher-capacity network, and at no extra cost to our customers.”

Ten U.K. cities will see the changes first, including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Sheffield. The improvements will be made automatically — you won’t need to do anything to upgrade your speeds — and they’ll be available to new and existing customers.

EE hopes the upgrade will “future-proof” its network to meet the needs of data-hungry consumers and businesses. The company expects network traffic to increase 750% during the next three years alone.

“Since we launched 4G, we’ve seen a huge shift in the way people are using mobile,” Swantee added. “Video already accounts for 24% of all traffic on our 4G network – that’s significantly more than on 3G. Maps, mobile commerce, sat-nav tools and cloud services are all seeing a similar rise. Mobile users in the UK have a huge appetite for data-rich applications, and this will only grow as people become more familiar with and reliant upon next generation technologies and services.”

EE hopes to rollout its improved speeds to one million 4G customers by the end of 2013, and the carrier promises updates on its progress throughout the year.