EE Launches Flexible 4G Plans For Pop-Up Businesses

EE says its new 4G bundles for pop-up businesses will provide business owners with the flexibility they need to establish temporary retail stores or restaurants and has pledged to provide support and mentoring to budding entrepreneurs.

“Pop-up” 4G contracts are available from £11.25 a month and can last from just 30 days to 12 months, with businesses able to add smartphones and tablets on top.

Other products include iZettle card readers, which lets pop-ups accept card payments and the ability to add a landline number, with calls forwarded to a mobile device, to give a business the credibility associated with a local number.

EE 4G pop-ups

The operator says the bundles will help to remove one of the significant barriers, namely the absence of flexible communications, that are preventing more pop ups from forming in the UK, according to its ‘Pop-Up UK’ report, which was published with the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR).

The report claims the pop-up economy in the UK is set to grow by 8.4 percent over the next year, adding to 10,000 pop-ups already operating in the UK, employing an estimated 2,340 people.

“These figures demonstrate the important role pop-up retail is playing in the UK economy, but we’re only at the beginning of this pop-up revolution,” says Richard Lim, head of business information at the British Retail Consortium (BRC). “The novel use of these temporary spaces showcases the innovative nature of UK retail which continues to adapt to consumer demands and structural changes occurring throughout the industry.”

However the report claims there could be double-digit growth without these barriers to market. Besides connectivity issues, many pop-ups have difficulty finding other flexible short term contracts, identifying suitable business spaces or facing obstructively high rents.

Pop Up UK

EE and the BRC are hoping to help 3,000 entrepreneurs set up pop-ups in the next three years with their ‘Pop Up UK’ campaign, which will provide 4G services, mentoring and support.

“Small businesses, and pop-ups in particular, face massive barriers and we’ve launched Pop-Up UK to stoke the fire under Britain’s pop-up retail economy,” says Mike Tomlinson, director of small business at EE. “Pop-ups can use the power of our 4G network to connect with their customers via social media, take mobile payments, collaborate with suppliers, and securely access all of their important data in the cloud.

“We’ve worked with a wide range of pop-up entrepreneurs to understand how we can help them achieve their goals. This campaign is built to provide aspiring pop-ups with the instant superfast 4G internet connections, flexible plans and technological hardware they’ve told us they need.”

“This campaign is seeking to do the much-needed job of removing the barriers that are holding pop-ups backs from their true potential,” adds Lim.

EE has the widest coverage and most 4G customers of any operator in the UK, with 4.2 million LTE subscribers. It has sought to maintain this lead with services such as shared plans, pay-as-you-go tariffs and in-car Wi-Fi packages.

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