Mobile operator EE has reached a 4G customer base of 5.6 million subscribers, a 1.4 million rise since the second quarter of 2014.

This makes the firm the largest 4G operator in Europe, well on the way to hittings six million 4G customer target by the end of 2014.

However, despite its 4G subscription expansion, EE’s third quarter results show operating revenue down is 1.2% to £1.52bn owing to regulatory cuts.

Mobile average revenue per user rose by 1.6% from the second quarter of 2014, with data services now worth 49% of that revenue.

Neal Milsom, Chief Financial Officer of EE, said: "We are delivering consistent underlying performance in a highly competitive environment while continuing to face significant regulatory pressure on our revenues.

"We are investing to further innovate on behalf of our customers by delivering not just the best network but also improvements in customer service, a range of attractive EE branded devices, Shared Plans, and soon EE TV."

But a report from Juniper Research has claimed that voice and messaging traffic lost to over the top messaging players such as WhatsApp and Skype have cost network operators nearly £9bn in revenues globally this year, up 26% from 2013.