Almost one third of all UK adults say they now have access to 4G, with total 4G subscriber numbers increasing from 2.7 million at the end of 2013 to 23.6 million at the end of 2014, according to a new report from watchdog Ofcom.

Almost 10.2 million of these new subscribers came in Q1 2014, which Ofcom attributed to 3 UK’s 4G launch and its decision to enable customers to access the new network at no extra cost.

“The rapid overall growth of 4G subscribers is likely to be due to the increasing number of packages that include 4G services, and because of all of the main operators (EE, Vodafone, Telefonica and 3) now include 4G connectivity as part of their contract packages,” said the report.

In terms of 4G coverage, Ofcom said 89.5 per cent of UK premises were covered by at least one operator, as of May 2015, largely due to the fact that operators do not all cover the same geographic areas, a 17.7 percent point increase since June 2014.

All UK operators exceeded 50 per cent of premises coverage at end-March this year, with EE the highest with 81 per cent. Both O2 and Vodafone increased by more than 20 percentage points (to 66 per cent and 65 per cent respectively), while 3 had the lowest with 53 per cent.

Ofcom further conducted an in depth analysis into the behavioural trends of those that use 4G to access the internet, showing more than 55 per cent of 4G users go online more than ten times a day.

“4G users show significantly different online behaviour compared to smartphone owners without 4G access,” read the report. “These users are more likely to go online more often, be more attached to their smartphones, do more ‘data heavy’ activities online and do them more often.”

More than half of 4G users are also more likely to use their smartphone to make online purchases and use online banking, compared with one third of those without 4G access

Accessing audio visual content is also on the rise due to 4G, with a quarter of UK users saying they do this more. The research showed that 24 per cent of 4G users also say they are making more internet calls as a result of a 4G data plan.

Attributed partly to the rise and expansion of 4G, Ofcom found that smartphones are now the most popular device in the UK to get online, overtaking laptops for the first time.

Some 33 per cent of internet users say smartphones are now the most important device to get online, a clear shift since 2014, when the figure stood at 23 per cent.

The report also found that the total UK communications revenue stood at £56.1 billion in 2014, falling by £0.3 billion. This was largely due to “a decline in total telecoms revenue, which fell by 2 per cent during the year, continuing the trend for the past five years.”