As the excitement dies down over Everything Everywheres first foray into 4G, rumour has it that other operators, in particular O2, are putting pressure on Ofcom to get the 4G spectrum auction pushed forward.

Thats logical enough – operators expressed concerns about competitive fairness when Everything Everywhere was first given the nod by Ofcom, and bringing the auction forward would give other operators the opportunity to roll out 4G services of their own.

What consumers might not know is that the iPhone 5 is, and will only ever be, compatible with 4G via the 1800MHz spectrum, which be exclusively available through EE. Even after the auction for 800MHz spectrum goes ahead, and other operators roll out 4G services of their own, Apple devotees hoping for a 4G connection will have to move operator to EE, or switch to a 800MHz-compatible handset.

An O2 spokesperson said: “We know that some people will want to take advantage of 4G as soon as it becomes available across the UK next year so we’ve launched the 4G Handset Promise. This means that customers who buy an iPhone 5 can upgrade during their contract term to get their hands on a new 4G phone. Not only that, we’ll make it even more affordable to upgrade by chipping in 10 per cent of the cost of buying out of their contract and pay the VAT too. We’re also offering great rates on O2 Recycle.”

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