Ofcom, the UK government and the major networks have all agreed a timetable for 4G to be launched across the UK.

We're talking about those plans in this week's podcast - and taking a look at all the other top mobile industry stories as well, from US mergers and leaky tablets to free WiFi and forthcoming quarterly results.

The government and Ofcom have confirmed that the UK’s major mobile networks will be able to launch 4G mobile phone services in the first half of next year.

800MHz and 2.6GHz radio frequencies for 4G services are being made available earlier than previously expected, which means networks will be able to launch 4G within a few months of the planned spectrum auction.

Telefónica UK and Vodafone UK have been given approval by the Office of Fair Trading and Ofcom to strengthen their existing network collaboration.

The two companies, which already work together on a UK mast-sharing project known as Cornerstone, now plan to combine the basic parts of their network infrastructure in a new company called CTI Ltd. This will own and manage the basic UK network infrastructure for both operators, although Vodafone and Telefónica (O2) will each continue to run their own independent networks.

UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has published a new quarterly report that shows the most complained-about telephone and pay TV suppliers.

Complaints about mobile phone services are now being classified as ‘pay monthly’ and ‘pay as you go’ (pre-pay) customers. Ofcom says around 95% of mobile complaints come from users with ‘pay monthly’ contracts, with the number of ‘pay as you go’ complaints currently too low to be statistically valid.

We start this week's edition of The Fonecast with confirmation that 4G coverage will be launched in the UK this year, thanks to Everything Everywhere.

However, all's not well in the world of mobile retail - as mystery shopping by a consumer organisation reports widespread misinformation from sales staff.