EE Unveils Latest Innovations as 4G Customers Pass Half Million Mark

HATFIELD, England, June 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• UK's first shared 4G plans, and Pay-As-You-Go 4GEE mobile broadband, available this summer
• Over 500,000 customers signed up to 4GEE just seven months after launch - fastest 4G customer take up in Europe
• Double-speed 4G being switched on in ten major UK cities
• Next phase of 4G rollout to target major commuter routes, shopping centres and airports, as well as cities including Aberdeen, Bath, Brighton, Cambridge, Ipswich and Swansea
• New 4G business customers include Clifford Chance, IKEA, Renault UK and Vector Aerospace

EE, the UK's most advanced digital communications company, has announced the next-generation of 4G plans for consumers and businesses. EE's new plans will provide customers with greater choice in how they access EE's superfast 4G network, and support changing mobile usage. EE has also announced the next phase of its 4G network rollout across the UK, consolidating its position as the UK's biggest and fastest mobile network.

Customer demand for 4G services continues to increase, with over 500,000 customers only seven months after the launch of the UK's first 4G mobile network.

Pioneering 4GEE Services

To meet increasing demand to stay connected at superfast speeds across a growing range of devices, EE will launch pioneering plans this summer, making it simple and easy to stay connected on the move:

• Shared 4GEE Plans - Allowing mobile customers to share their 4GEE plans across phones and tablets, or with other people. Built with simplicity in mind, EE's new Shared 4G Plans will provide a great value solution for customers.
• Pay-As-You-Go Mobile Broadband - For the first time, customers will be able to pay for 4GEE internet access on their tablets and laptops without a long-term commitment. Customers will be able to choose between a range of data bundles to use with their device - whether it's a tablet, laptop or mobile Wi-Fi device.

EE will announce pricing and availability in the coming weeks.

EE Double-Speed Superfast 4G

EE will roll out its double-speed 4G in ten cities within weeks. This innovation will boost headline speeds to 80Mbps, and will more than double the current average speeds to 24-30Mbps. Double-speed 4G from EE will provide an even better experience for customers engaging with HD videos and pictures, sharing large files, multi-tasking and tethering multiple devices.

Double-speed will first arrive in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield.

Continued 4GEE Rollout

By the end of June, EE's 4G network will reach over 55% of the UK population, and will cover 98% by the end of 2014. Throughout 2013, EE will continue to expand to key towns and cities across the country, including Aberdeen, Bath, Bournemouth, Brighton, Cambridge, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Northampton, Norwich, Poole, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Swansea and York.

As well as bringing 4G to more of the UK population throughout 2013, the next phase of EE's 4G rollout will target major commuter routes, shopping centres and airport hubs, such as Gatwick airport which has recently switched on 4G for customers across its site.

London's fastest mobile network

In a recent independent network testing report of London from RootMetrics^®, EE ranked first for overall combined performance, mobile internet and text, as well as joint first for call performance.

Highlights from the report included:

• Average download speeds on 4G of 19.4Mbps
• Average download speeds across 3G & 4G of 13.6Mbps
• A dropped call rate of 0.8% - significantly ahead of industry average

EE - number one choice for business

Underpinned by the UK's biggest and fastest 4G network, EE is enabling businesses to become truly mobile and do things that they couldn't do before. So far, close to 2,200 major corporations such as Clifford Chance, IKEA, Renault UK and Vector Aerospace, as well as public sector clients including NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, are using 4G.

Olaf Swantee, CEO of EE, said: "Last year we launched the UK's first superfast 4G and fibre network. Since then we've worked relentlessly to increase the breadth and depth of our reach.

"By the end of June, we will have rolled out 4G across 55% of the population, and will continue to switch on new towns and cities. And with commuters spending an average of 75 minutes travelling every day, EE will also roll out 4G across the busiest airports, commuter routes and shopping centres across the UK, powering the areas that matter most to Britain.^[1] 

"We recognise that with 4G, customers connect to the things they care about more frequently, across more devices. Our Shared 4GEE plans and Pay as You Go 4GEE Mobile Broadband will offer our customers more ways to do this.

"We won't stop here. Customers can be assured that, on EE, they are one step ahead."

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1. Average commuting time from TUC, November 2012

Contact:

Customer Services
Hatfield Business Park
UK AL10 9BW
Telephone number: +44(0)800-956-6000
E-Mail: customerservice@ee.co.uk
Website: http://www.ee.co.uk