EE 4G To Double Speeds In 12 Cities And Double Data Allowances

EE 4G has announced a range of initiatives designed to retain and attract customers ahead of the launch of rival 4G services later this year, including larger data allowances for new subscribers, double speeds in 12 cities from 4 July and new shared plans.

CEO Olaf Swantee claimed EE 4G was the fastest network in the world, and that it would continue to innovate to keep itself ahead of the competition, even though it was attracting 100 new contracts every hour.

The UK’s only current 4G operator has more than 500,000 subscribers and hopes to secure one million by the end of the year, but it will face competition from Vodafone, Three and O2 later this year after they secured valuable bandwidth in the Ofcom spectrum auction.

Double speed EE 4G

“We fundamentally believe that with the forecast in data growth we need to introduce innovation to our network all the time,” he said. “We want to stay one step ahead because one core of our brand is innovation.”

EE said earlier this year it was planning on doubling the speeds of its service in ten cities earlier this year, but two more cities will also receive speeds of between 24Mbps and 40Mbps from tomorrow.

“The network team has exceeded our expectations again,” explained Swantee. “If you have typical broadband at home and you’re not using fibre, you will typically see a speed that is five times that of regular broadband. These speeds are absolutely in line with fibre broadband speeds.”

The previously confirmed cities were Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, but will now be joined by Derby and Nottingham. EE 4G has also committed to improving speeds in London’s Tech City.

Double data

EE 4G has faced criticism for its data limits, especially since Three has promised not to charge customers any extra for LTE, but it hopes to convince those sitting on the fence to sign up now by doubling the data allowances for its tariffs for a limited period.

New customers who sign up for a 24-month contract between 17 July and 30 September will receive double the amount of data they would have otherwise received for the duration of their contract.

EE also announced pay-as-you-go mobile broadband deals for those who wanted to use the 4G network on their laptops, but were currently tied up to another mobile provider. A special launch promotion will provide customers with three months for the price of one, and if data allowances are exceeded, a range of add-ons are available.

The company also revealed details about its shared plans and Cash On Tap NFC mobile payment service at the event at London’s Southbank.

“When we launched 4G, we talked about a vision if building the best network and best service so customers trust us with their digital lives,” declared Swantee. “By bringing 4G to the UK, we have realised that aim.”

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