UK mobile operator EE announces launch of first 4G pay as you go plans
17 Oct 2013
UK mobile operator EE yesterday announced the launch of its first 4G pay as you go (PAYG) plans yesterday, as also cheaper pay monthly tariffs and plans to trial 300 Mbps LTE speeds in 2014.
Speaking at an event on Wednesday, EE said it would launch the UK's first 4G PAYG price plans on 30 October.
According to the company, all handsets available on its network, such as the iPhone 5S and HTC One, would be made available on PAYG, and even as there were no details on pricing yet, EE said, those signing up before 31 January 2014 would receive complimentary 10GB of data and free minutes thought the next year.
EE would also launch new entry level 4G tariffs, starting at £18.99 per month depending on what handset a buyer chose, alongside its PAYG plans.
For just a little under £19, EE customers would get 1,000 minutes, unlimited texts in addition to 500MB of data per month.
Those looking for 30 Mbps+ speeds had the option to pay for it right away. EE would cap its regular plans at 30 Mbps, and would offer '4GEE Extra' plans for those looking for faster speeds.
According to EE CEO Olaf Swantee, one year after launch, the company had extended the world's fastest network across 60 (per cent) of the UK, but the company wanted to bring the power of 4GEE to even more people.
The company would carry out advanced network tests combining 4G frequencies into a super channel that would be capable, it said, of hitting 300 Mbps download speeds.
However, there were, at the moment, not many handsets available that incorporated the support for this faster LTE signal.
The tests would be carried out in London and EE had not set a definite date by which it could be introduced to customers.
According to a spokesman for the company, to further extend the company's mobile data leadership, in November, EE would reveal more details on plans to trial the latest 4G speed technology, offering speeds up to 300 Mbps in London this year, with a wider rollout planned for 2014.