EE, known formerly as Everything, Everywhere, launched their 4G mobile service in London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Southampton and Glasgow Tuesday morning. Network EE is the first company to provide 4G mobile Internet services that offers from 8-12 mbps, a faster speed compared to the current 3G services available.
However, issues about its data usage allowance and daily limit sparked criticism from industry experts. While the extra speed can allow for high-quality audio streaming and faster Internet access while on the move, shows and other videos that run for 30 minutes can reach up to 225 mb. This can create add on costs aside from the entry level 500 mb of data each user has paid for £36 a month. Add on costs can begin with £3 for 50 mb and £20 for 4GB
EE states that it would be providing standard customers with 8GB data allowance with a deal costing £56 a month. They mention that the prices were based on consumer research and the prices were the best “spot” they can find in the price range.
Analysts are quite skeptical about how EE would make customers believe that 4G services is good value for money given the cost. However, these challenges were to be expected being the first company to take initiative in launching the 4G service.
Other telecom companies are scheduled to launch their own 4G services next month. Only EE was granted the permission to launch their next generation service using their existing bandwith.