EE has today announced that its speedy 4G LTE network is now available in an additional 11 towns across the United Kingdom. EE now covers 85 towns and cities, reaching more than 55% of the U.K. population just eight months after its 4G LTE network first launched.

Spanish mobile operator Telefonica has partnered with Microsoft in a bid to boost Windows Phone 8 adoption. The two companies plan to launch an “enhanced marketing effort” that will fight back against “the current duopoly” of Android and iOS.

Hutchison Whampoa, owner of Three U.K., has today acquired O2 Ireland in a deal worth €850 million ($1.1 billion). Telefonica, O2’s parent company, believes the move will “create a new competitive dynamic in the Irish market,” which Three can now claim 37.5% of with 2 million active subscribers.

British carrier O2, together with artist Sean Miles, has created a pair of “Talk to the Hand” gloves that allow you to take phone calls using your thumb and pinky. They look just like regular gloves, only that have recycled cellphone parts built into them so that they can double as a Bluetooth headset.

Vodafone has confirmed that it will roll out its new 4G LTE network in the United Kingdom this summer, ready for a launch “later this year.” The move follows the carrier’s £790 million ($1.2 billion) acquisition of a chunk of 4G spectrum back in February.