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The story of EE has been turned into a book
Nothing says summer like lying on a beach and getting stuck into a good book. But what to read? A 19th century classic, or perhaps Murakami's latest surrealist tale? What about the fascinating story of how mobile provider EE came to be? Well, look no further than The 4G Mobile Revolution: Creation, Innovation and Transformation at EE, penned by former network CEO Olaf Swantee and now departed comms director Stu Jackson.
EE's 'Swap' brings another option for chronic phone-changers
If you're the type to regard your six month-old handset like a relic from the stone age (and believe us, we are), then you've now got another option with EE's Swap program. UK customers can now trade in their smartphones six months or later into their 18 or 24 month plans starting at £49. That appears to be EE's attempt to catch up to plans like O2's Refresh and JUMP from Phones 4u, but there's a huge catch, of course. You'll have to start a new 24 month contract from scratch, and the trade up price depends on which you end up choosing. Those opting for the cheapest £36 plan, for instance, will have to pay a much steeper £249. Still, for those of us who can barely stand going out with a mere Samsung Galaxy Note II when the Galaxy Note 3 is now in the zeitgeist, it's a small price to pay.
EE hits one million 4G customers four months ahead of goal
EE said it wanted to have a million 4G customers by the end of the year, but it won't have to wait nearly that long. The UK carrier just topped that mark four months ahead of its stated deadline while its competitors are just getting off the starting blocks. O2 and Vodafone both fired up their respective LTE networks less than two weeks ago, while Three's won't launch until December. Despite having been the only game in town until recently, EE claims the UK's adoption of 4G has been one of the world's fastest so far. It seems like there's a lot more technofreaks out there than Vodafone imagined.
EE has lured 318,000 customers to 4G since launching five months ago (updated)
EE's just released its Q1 2013 earnings, giving us a look at its first full quarter with 4G services. The carrier says it's on track to its goal of a million 4G customers by the end of the year, thanks to the addition or migration of 318,000 LTE customers since the service launched.. Despite those more profitable clients, however, total service revenue (excluding hardware sales) was down 1.5 percent for the period over last quarter, to £1.42 billion. On one hand, the number of 4G additions could be seen as disappointing considering the company's strong marketing push of the service -- though on the other, the company's only just activated numerous regions, making that one million 4G subscriber goal seem more likely than not. We'll just have to wait a bit longer to see if Brits are really in love with LTE's extra zip -- and willing to pay for it. Update: This article originally stated that EE added 318,000 4G customers in Q1 this year, but that figure actually represents the number of users the carrier has added since launching its 4G service five months ago.
HTC First coming to Orange and EE in Europe
The HTC First might be launching on AT&T, but that doesn't mean this built-for-Facebook device is going to be limited to the US: we just learned it will eventually arrive in Europe too, on Orange and the UK's EE network. Unfortunately, whereas AT&T came armed with pricing and availability details ($100 on April 12th), we still have no idea when, exactly, the phone will hit these other carriers. If you want to try before you buy, of course, you should be able to download the Facebook Home skin through Google Play pretty soon.
EE closing 78 overly cozy stores, keeps related staff
Merging two carriers' efforts invariably creates at least some kind of redundancy, no matter how much the two sides try to avoid it. In EE's case, it led to stores that were suddenly too close to each other -- so close that some were very literally next door. Rather than perpetuate the inadvertent comedy, EE says it's shuttering 78 stores that it believes are just wasting space. The provider doesn't want to put added strain on the remaining shops, however. It plans to move all affected staff to existing locations, and it's hoping to repurpose managers rather than oust them. The scaled-back retail operations theoretically "maintain momentum" while keeping customers and workers happy, EE tells us. When we see genuinely absurd situations like the photo above, we're inclined to agree. [Image credit: Lazygamer, Flickr]
A week with the iPhone 5 on EE, the UK's first 4G network
More Info EE LTE speed test EE details UK 4G pricing: Unlimited calls, texts and 500MB of data starts at £36 EE confirms Nokia Lumia 920, 820 and Samsung Galaxy S III among first handsets on new LTE network Last week, EE publicly flipped the switch on its 4G network. Launching LTE in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and (parts of) Southampton. EE also plans for an additional five cities before the new year. The new phone network, composed of equal parts T-Mobile and Orange, has other plans -- and they start from £21 SIM-only (starting November 9th) while phone packages begin at £36 per month. For that, the new network offers its customers 500MB of data, plus unlimited calls and texts. The data plans scale up from there, all the way up to 8GB of monthly data, alongside a system of on-off data bundles. So being an earlier adopter comes at a very specific cost -- are the wonders of a next-generation network worth it? We inserted a fresh EE 4G SIM into an iPhone 5 and now have been using it for over a week, get our full verdict after the break.
EE switches on 4G in 11 UK cities, offers fiber broadband to 11 million sites and opens 700 stores
Today marks the launch of the UK's first 4G network, with EE switching on its service in 11 cities: London, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton. If you don't have access immediately, you might not be waiting long, as the company promises 2,000 square miles of 4G network will be added every month from now on. This £1.5 billion investment means five cities will join the exclusive list before Christmas, and in the longer-term, 98 percent population coverage is expected by the end of 2014. Wired services aren't being forgotten -- EE Fibre Broadband is also available from today with the potential to serve 11 million locations with speeds of up to 76 Mbps. Want to learn more about the new services? Then head to one of the 700 EE stores (rebranded Orange and T-Mobile locations) opening this morning. If your bank account can handle it, that is.
EE details UK 4G pricing: Unlimited calls, texts and 500MB of data starts at £36
We've seen the speeds, we know the handsets and now we know how much it'll cost you to be among the first to try 4G in the UK. EE has outlined its contract and handset pricing from October 30th, with all of the bundles including unlimited calls and texts. Yep, the new carrier is breaking it down by data, with its entry-level 500MB bundle starting at £36 for 24 months. You'll have to make an initial payment for most handsets, although the Ascend P1 will be free from the 1GB bundle upwards. Data allowances go up to 8GB for £56 per month, although users can add even more, with an extra 50MB costing £3, or up to 4GB for £20. Now, if you're looking to get Apple's latest on 4G, it'll set you back at least £20 on the highest data plan. Already got your LTE-ready iPhone 5? Then you'll have to wait until 9th November, when the network will start offering SIM-only 12-month plans priced from £21. The 4G network will also offer its phones on 12 month contracts for an additional £10 on top of the prices shown above. EE will let users who bought comparable non-4G versions in the last six months (like the One X or Galaxy S III) to exchange their devices for a one-off payment of £100. Alongside the all these pricing details, the Orange/ T-Mobile team-up also spilled the beans on some service features for its new customers -- and we've got it all covered after the break, including a quick hands-on with its Film store service.
UK carriers form alliance to speed up 800MHz LTE rollout, let us enjoy our Freeview TV
Isn't it better when we work together? British carriers think so. EE, O2, Three and Vodafone have officially created a non-exclusive joint venture, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, that should speed up the deployment of 800MHz LTE by keeping Freeview over-the-air TV signals clear of interference while the partners bring their low-frequency 4G online. Previously, the networks were bound to form an equivalent company called MitCo that wouldn't have been active until after the 800MHz auction, preventing companies from getting their wireless houses in order until they'd already made a commitment. There's also a competitive angle involved to go with the cooperative work, as you might imagine: with EE's 1,800MHz LTE poised to go live on October 30th, choosing infighting over assistance would only help widen the frontrunner's lead. Whether DMSL represents altruism or pragmatism, we'll appreciate knowing that the hurdles to a catch-up in UK 4G will be more those of the technical reality than the usual political maneuvering.
4G LTE to launch in UK on October 30
iPhone 5 owners in the UK have something to cheer about -- 4G LTE service will be available for the first time in the country starting on October 30th. The ultra-fast LTE service will operate on the network of EE (formerly known as Everything Everywhere), a new joint venture of Orange UK and T-Mobile. Although Orange and T-Mobile customers will soon see their carrier change to EE, they'll need to have an EE data plan in order to take advantage of the faster speeds provided by 4G LTE. At this point, the service is expected to roll out in 10 cities on October 30th. By the end of 2012, 16 cities -- which contain a third of the population of the UK -- will have 4G LTE, and EE expects 98 percent of the population to be covered by 2014.
EE confirms 4G rollout will begin October 30th, 10 cities at launch, 16 by the end of the year
EE has just confirmed that its 4G roll out will commence on October 30th in the UK. The announcement comes direct from CEO Olaf Swantee, and reveals both the official launch of the new EE brand in the UK, along with those much sought after 4G data services. There will be 10 cities included in the initial rollout, with another six to be added by the end of the year. Once that total of 16 has been reached, EE claims it should cover at least a third of the UK population. As you might expect, more towns and cities will get the LTE treatment throughout 2013, with EE claiming it should reach 98 percent population coverage by 2014. The announcement also took the opportunity to confirm the handsets that will be available at launch, which include the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy SIII LTE, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 820, HTC One XL and the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE. Want to know if your city is one of the lucky ones, head to the more coverage link for full launch coverage details, complete with maps.
UK carrier cooperation could see 4G LTE rollout ramp up by summer 2013
With the formal creation of Orange and T-Mobile's LTE network lovechild, Everything Everywhere, the UK finally joined the horserace for 4G. Now, it looks like rival domestic operators could get a chance to play catch-up sooner than expected, according to a report from The Telegraph. It appears the mobile companies, having recently put to rest concerns over any potential "first mover advantage" that would see each party entering into litigation, have been freed up to bid in a spectrum auction set to take place in early January. And further speeding this next-gen rollout along, is Ofcom's admission that those precious frequencies could be ready for use as soon as this coming May, allowing carriers to prep service for public consumption by mid-summer 2013 at the latest. All told, it's good news for denizens of the British isles hankering for blazing wireless speeds and the LTE devices that love them. But as with all things commercial, we'd caution you to expect some regulatory bumps in the road to this rollout.
Huawei Ascend P1 LTE named as EE exclusive in UK, other markets to follow
If you'd wondered what Huawei might bring to the table for the launch of the UK's newly-minted 4G network, your time is up, as the Ascend P1 LTE has been revealed as a national exclusive for EE, with availability in other markets to follow. Like its forebear, the handset features Android 4.0 alongside a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display and an 8-megapixel camera, although as a nice surprise, it'll also come with a beefier 2,000mAh battery. There's no word yet on pricing for the latest entrant, although it seems a safe assumption that all will be revealed in rather short order. In the meantime, you'll find the remaining details in the PR after the break.
Mach inks carrier billing deal with Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone and Three in the UK
Not a month after Mach's last carrier billing deal, UK network providers Vodafone, Three, O2 and Everything Everywhere are getting in on the action. The company's direct billing solutions will initially allow the networks to charge app and online purchases straight to your bill, with in-app sales joining them at a later date. Don't expect this to be implemented immediately, however, as the agreement covers the back-end processing -- the individual carriers will be responsible for turning it on customer-side. They'll likely inform you when they hit the switch and your phone bill becomes a monthly surprise.
iPhone 5 contract prices for UK phone networks published
The US isn't the only country whose residents are up early pre-ordering the iPhone 5 today. Other countries like the UK are also kicking off sales of the next generation iPhone. In the UK, customers have a variety of carriers, several different price points and even multiple retail stores from which to shop. Here is a quick rundown of the pricing and plans available for Apple's next generation handset. Vodafone: Vodafone lets you grab the 16 GB iPhone 5 for free if you agree to pay £47 a month for two years on a plan that includes 2 GB of data and unlimited voice and text. If £47 is too steep, customers can pay £249 for an iPhone on a £25 monthly plan. Orange: Orange offers a free 16 GB iPhone 5 on a £46 plan that includes 3 GB of data, unlimited texts and calls and a two-year agreement. Customers who don't mind paying £320 for their iPhone can sign up for a £20 monthly plan that includes 100 MB of data, 50 text messages and 50 minutes of voice calling. T-Mobile UK: T-Mobile UK is offering a paid version of the iPhone that'll cost £109 for the 16 GB model. The associated monthly plan costs £36 and includes unlimited internet with 2000 voice minutes. Everything Everywhere: Customers who buy an iPhone 5 at T-Mobile or Orange will be able to switch once EE fires up its 4G network. Three UK: Three UK has the 16 GB iPhone for £79 when you sign up for its unlimited data One Plan for £36 per month. O2: O2 is offering the iPhone for free if you agree to a minimum £46 monthly plan, which includes 1 GB of data and unlimited texts and messages. Customers can choose to pay upfront for the iPhone in exchange for a less expensive monthly plan. For example, a 16 GB iPhone 5 will cost £99.99 with a £36 monthly plan. Phones4U: The retailer is accepting pre-orders for customers who want to buy an iPhone 5 and sign up with Orange, T-Mobile or Vodafone. Carphone Warehouse: The retailer is accepting pre-orders, with the 16 GB model available online and other models available via telesales. If you live in the UK and pre-ordered today, let us know how it went in the comments. We'd love to know what model/carrier combo you picked. [Via Engadget]
iPhone 5 contract prices for UK phone networks revealed (updated with O2, Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U)
While Apple had its preorders primed since 8am BST, British carriers have only just unveiled their monthly prices for the newest iPhone. Vodafone will offer it on contracts from £25 per month -- with an initial £249 outlay) or free on £47 per month for two years. That free deal will net you a 16GB iPhone 5, with 2GB of data, unlimited texts and voice minutes. On Orange, a 24-month contract at £46 will nab you the same 16GB model for free, with 3GB of data and unlimited calls and texts. If you drop down to the £20 rate, you'll have to pay £320 upfront and pick up a lightweight bundle of 100MB of data, 50 texts and 50 minutes. EE stablemate T-Mobile isn't offering any free iPhones on its carrier plans, but you'll be able to glean unlimited internet (alongside 2000 voice minutes) on a 16GB iPhone 5 for £109 and £36 per month on contract. Confusingly, anyone looking to grab the UK's first LTE network on the iPhone 5 will have to sign up to a "4GEE from EE" plan -- which still hasn't revealed its pricing. We're checking with EE whether customers that decide to grab a new contract with Orange or T-Mobile will still be able to migrate across -- we'd hold off on that pre-order until we hear back from the new 4G network. (Edit: See update below for clarification.) Meanwhile, Three UK currently has the 16GB iPhone on its unlimited data One Plan at £79 upfront, on a £36 per month deal. We'll update again once we hear O2's plans. Update: EE has been in touch to clarify matters: "Customers can either wait for EE to launch (we will be announcing the date in the coming weeks) or they can sign up to a contract with T-Mobile or Orange and upgrade to EE free of charge once it has launched, as long as they move to an equivalent priced and length plan on EE." Update 2: Phones4U is taking its own pre-orders for those who want to enlist with Orange, T-Mobile or Vodafone. O2 has also chipped in with its details and is offering the iPhone 5 on plans starting from £26 per month; like Orange, you'll have to opt for at least a £46 monthly outlay to get one for free. The O2 plans offer the same unlimited voice and texts, but just 1GB of data. Lastly, Carphone Warehouse has chipped in with its own advance order campaign, although it's only taking online orders for the 16GB black iPhone at this stage: you'll need to call in for everything else.
Everything Everywhere, Explained: the UK gets LTE
Following the recent regulatory approval, UK telecoms operator Everything Everywhere today announced its new LTE service under the new EE brand name. The network is currently running in engineer testing mode in four cities (Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff and London). With few users to congest the network, EE are demonstrating speeds of as much as 35 Mbps downstream and 21 Mbps upstream, about five times faster than existing 3G services can manage on a really good day. With a tail wind. Downhill. Before the end of the year, the company is promising a further 12 cities will be live -- Belfast, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Southampton. In all, as many as 20 million people could be sending their "Happy New Year!" messages through EE this year. Which would almost certainly collapse the new-born network, of course, but let's not rain on its parade just yet. Initial devices that will go on sale "in the coming weeks" include the Samsung Galaxy S III, the HTC One XL, a couple from Huawei, the Nokia 820, and an exclusive on Nokia's not-actually-out-yet Lumia 920. There's also going to be Mifi-style devices and USB dongles, to get older devices online through the new network. EE also teased that "more devices will be announced shortly"; I wonder what hot new LTE enabled device it could be hinting at? EE will also offer fibre home broadband; it promised to cover 11 million households initally, but didn't share any details about where this would be. It hasn't shared any information about tariffs yet, but I wouldn't imagine either LTE or fibre service is going to be cheap. The company isn't offering pay-as-you-go plans and is advising that existing Orange or T-Mobile customers moving to LTE will need to "agree to a new minimum term on EE." Everything Everywhere was formed back in 2010 as a holding company following the merger of two existing cellular operators, Orange and T-Mobile. Slightly confusingly, the announcements today form a new customer-facing brand, EE, which will sell only high speed services: LTE cellular and fibre optic home connectivity. The existing T-Mobile and Orange brands will remain in place for the time being. Customers moving from 3G to 4G service will upgrade from the older brands onto the EE infrastructure. Ofcom's recent decision to approve EE's existing 1800 MHz spectrum for LTE use has effectively handed EE a monopoly on 4G cellular networking within the UK for the time being; everyone else has to wait for a spectrum auction later this year before they can begin constructing networks for rollouts expected in 2013. This first-mover advantage could prove to be a huge competitive edge for EE, particularly if the iPhone 5 turns out to be, as widely expected, A) LTE capable and B) more popular then puppies and kittens combined. That would position EE as the de facto best network for the iPhone 5. EE's competitors aren't at all happy about this situation; Vodafone said that "(Ofcom) has shown a careless disregard for the best interests of consumers, businesses and the wider economy through its refusal to properly regard the competitive distortion created by allowing one operator to run services before the ground has been laid for a fully competitive 4G market." EE is accepting pre-release signups now via its website.
We test speeds on EE, the UK's first LTE network! (video)
Formerly known as Everything Everywhere, also known as the union of Orange and T-Mobile's UK networks, it's now going under the name EE and (finally) bringing LTE to the British Isles in the coming weeks. We decided to see what that means by running Speed Test on the device -- and it's looking good. Upload speeds averaged around 20Mbps, while downloads peaked around 38Mbps -- consistently above 25Mbps. If you're wondering what this means for how you'll normally use your phone, Angry Birds' 20MB-plus app download rocketed down from the new network and this very site appeared in an instant. See for yourself after the break. %Gallery-164916%
EE confirms Nokia Lumia 920, 820 and Samsung Galaxy S III among first handsets on new LTE network (updated)
Confirming those early rumors, Nokia's new Windows Phone 8 flagship will come to the UK exclusively on Everything Everywhere's newly re-branded EE LTE network. The 4.5-inch Lumia 920 will launch on the freshly announced carrier later this year, along with the Lumia 820, Samsung Galaxy S III LTE, Huawei Ascend 4G and HTC One XL (if the on stage demo is anything to go by). We're still waiting for the full list of hardware to be confirmed, along with availability details, but for now, you can start deciding your weapon of choice. Update: We've just added the press release, which confirms the HTC One XL is among the launch handsets. Update: Looks like that GS III will be an exclusive "titanium grey" color running Jelly Bean out of the box, according to Pocket-lint. Also, EE just confirmed to us that -- as rumored -- it has exclusivity over the Lumia 920.
