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If you already own a phone that’s 4G capable, EE’s now ready to start selling SIMs to slot in and take advantage of the UK’s newest and fastest network.
And yes, there is a comedy 500MB option at the low end of the scale, with EE’s entry level SIM offering a 500MB data allowance for £21 a month. All of EE’s SIM plans are sold on a 12-month contract basis, with the network offering 1GB of data for £26, 3GB for £31 or 5GB for £36. All those plans include unlimited calls and texts, plus you’ll be able to tether the connection without restriction too.
Meanwhile, Giz reader James has supplied screencaptures showing him using the EE 4G network in Nottingham today, so it looks like a new city has gone live with LTE. [EE]
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Just wait until next year for the other network providers to supply 4G contracts, such a rip off.
That’s what I’m doing. It’s nice to know they have the Sim only deal out as this means that when the other networks set up they will have to offer sim only from the start and there will be real competition.
I will be getting a Nexus 4 sometime this year (i’m hoping) it has a disabled LTE chip inside, I’m hoping that a developer figures out how to enable it! then when the other carriers release a better price plan for 4g then i’ll switch!
Not going to happen according to people who understand these things.
Damn, oh well the nexus 4 is still a steal at the price its going for
Problem with that is only EE’s 4G spectrum will be compatible with the iphone 5. So EE will still continue to monopolise that market
That’s crazy! how can they get away with that?!?!
EE took advantage of the fact that their 4G spectrum (1800MHz) matched iPhone 5′s 4G radio. The 4G auction that will involve vodafone and O2 will only be for the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands which are not compatible with the iPhone 5. You’ll still get 2G/3G with vodafone and O2 but not 4G
Must be fantastic to have a 4G monopoly – no need to compete with anyone at all! Ofcom should be tearing them a new one with these tariffs. They’re a joke!
Want 4G?! – Come on in, sucker.
Ofcom do something? Just like all the others (Ofgem, Ofwat, Ofullwasteofbloodytime) they’ll sit on their hands and say ‘there’s nothing we can do, market forces yadda yadda’.
You’re right, it’s been a joke. Who the hell thought it was a great idea to let ONE company do this? Un-feckin-believable…
How is EE offering 4G before anyone else anti-competitive? Are you suggesting that any company offering a better service should be prevented from doing so until rivals can offer an equivalent one?
Comments like this keep reminding me why I don’t post here much any more…
Lets not forget that EE aren’t introducing 4G early through technological brilliance, but because of the ridiculous delays to to the auctions for the 4G spectrum. There is no way around them unless you would prefer more mergers and a further entrenched oligopolistic/duopolistic mobile communication market .
Im currently with 02, I’m paying £32 a month, which includes 600 02 mins, 1200 cross network mins, unlimited texts and 500MB internet.
I wouldn’t mind paying £31 for 3GB with unlimited calls and internet
That sounds like an iPhone tariff.
Sounds more like an iIdiot tariff
That’s what I said
It turns out, it was an Android tariff :-p
Yes but i am guessing your £32 a month comes with a subsidised phone
this is sim only, you either have to use your old phone or pay cash for a new one.
Hang on mate, I’m on O2 and for 20 quid a month I get 1GB data, unlimited calls, unlimited texts and something called “O2 Travel” – apparently, reduced roaming charges for data and calls.
Even their closest (to what you pay) iPhone 5 tariff with subsidised phone is £31 with 1GB data and unlimited everything. How did you get such a bad deal?
I got an Galaxy S2 with my contract when they just come out, so maybe the price was a lot higher then
so these sim only plans are as expensive as contracts that come with phone.
most people don’t need unlimited talk.
I cannot believe how high these prices are, its a total piss take.
Not quite. EE were offering 4G phones plus only 500MB of date for £36 per month. Now that is a piss take.
what i am saying is 30+ quid a month contracts as sim only is a piss take,
the idea of sim only is that it is cheaper as the company is not subsidising a handset, whereas they want to charge the same money for 4g yet they are not subsidising the phone either so they are saving that money too, its absolutely ridiculous
I agree. All the EE 4G prices are a massive piss take. Want 5GB of data and a 4G phone too? £51 a month on a 2 year contract plus £30 for the phone.
Plenty of people have already complained to Orange/EE about the prices and many won’t be renewing their contracts.
I’m not too bothered about 4G at the moment, 3G is usually adequate for anything I’ve needed to do while away from wifi.
I’m happy enough with my Tesco sim-only 12 month contract: 750 mins, 5000 texts and 1GB data for £10 each month. It’s more than enough for me and still pretty cheap.
am with you there 3g all the way, i don’t use enough mobile data to warrant a speed boost for that sort of money
Rather than go SIM only so went and signed my life away on a 12month EE 4G contract.