It’s an eventful time for UK mobile operator EE, the joint venture formed by Orange and T-Mobile.
The carrier is once again increasing its 4G speeds. Alongside that upgrade, the company is introducing “shared plans” and pushing back at rival marketing claims.
EE CEO Olaf Swantee has confirmed the faster 4G service will first roll out in major cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Swantee went as far as to say EE’s service will be “in line with the fastest networks in Korea.” While South Korea is deploying LTE-Advanced — a standard that, as previously reported, requires specially equipped devices such as certain Samsung models — matching those peak theoretical figures (downloads up to 3Gbps and uploads to 1.5Gbps) is ambitious. Real-world speeds will be significantly lower, but the claim signals EE’s intent to lead on performance.
Beyond raw speed, EE is launching shared plans targeted at families and users with multiple devices. One example announced is a plan priced at £112 per month that offers 20GB of data, unlimited voice minutes and unlimited texts, shared across up to four people or devices.
Broken down for a family of four, that equates to £28 per person per month with 5GB of data each — a saving compared with EE’s standard single-user price of £38 per month. For many households, this could be an appealing option that balances data allowance and cost.
At the moment EE faces limited direct competition in the UK 4G market. Three has said its forthcoming “One Plan” will include 4G access at no extra charge, and has advertised unlimited data on that tariff starting at £18 per month when the service launches later in the year. Other operators are preparing their 4G roll-outs, and it won’t be long before consumers have more choices.
Meanwhile, EE has already criticized some rival advertising. For example, Vodafone ran a high-profile campaign tying the phrase “ultrafast 4G” to a McLaren Formula 1 car — a striking visual associating speed with the brand that grabbed attention.
EE’s current lead gives it a strong market position, but as competitors expand their 4G offerings and marketing, maintaining that advantage will require continued network investment, attractive pricing structures and clear, credible claims about performance. Customers should benefit from the competition as more operators launch comparable services and shared-plan options.
What do you think about EE’s position in the UK 4G market? Is their dominance secure, or will competition erode their advantage?