EE 4G Attracts 318,00 Subscribers Since Launch

EE 4G says that 318,000 people and 1,600 medium and large companies have signed up to its LTE service since it launched in October last year, placing it firmly on track to reach its target of attracting more than one million subscribers by the end of 2013.

The figures were released in the operator’s first quarter results, which are the first to reveal specific numbers of subscribers to EE 4G.

EE said that rapid smartphone adoption was driving revenue growth as 82 percent of its postpaid customers now have smartphones while 93 percent of new and renewing contact customers are choosing higher-end devices.

EE 4G subscribers

In the three months leading up to March 2013, 166,000 new customers joined the network, and Average Revenue per User (ARPU) rose by 2.2 percent during the period. In its previous results, EE attracted 201,000 new customers ahead of Christmas.

The operator says that there is “strong demand” for 4G and that research has showed 37 percent use less public Wi-Fi after signing up to EE 4G, while one fifth use their home broadband less.

“Today’s results are in-line with our expectations, and we are making good progress focusing on high value segments,” said Neal Milsom, Chief Financial Officer of EE. “We’re announcing 318,000 4G customers after just five months of trading, strong postpaid net adds and continued growth in our underlying average revenue per user.

“We expect to strengthen our industry leadership position in the year ahead as the 4G roll out continues and we introduce double-speed 4GEE.”

Monopoly ending

EE 4G is currently the UK’s only 4G operator, having received permission from Ofcom to launch an LTE service using its existing spectrum last year. It also secured 10MHz of 800MHz bandwidth and 70MHz of 2.6GHz airwaves in the recent Ofcom 4G auction, which EE says gives it 36 percent of the total spectrum available in the UK and “an unrivalled foundation for the future.”

However EE’s monopoly on 4G will end later this year when the other winners of the spectrum auction release LTE services. O2, Vodafone and Three’s propositions will increase competition in the sector and threaten EE’s chances of meeting its one million subscriber goal.

EE 4G recently announced plans to double the speeds of its 4G service in ten cities by June and has also pledged to help improve the digital skills of one million people, take on 500 apprentices by 2015 and reduce its carbon emissions and waste landfill by 2015.

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