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EE replaces Orange Wednesdays with weekly £1 Wuaki.tv movie rental
When EE announced the end of its beloved Orange Wednesdays promotion, it also teased an "exclusive" deal that would shortly be introduced as its replacement. We had our suspicions that such an offer wouldn't be able to match, never mind surpass the value of Orange Wednesdays, and today they've all but been confirmed. EE has announced that from March 30th, its former 'two-for-one' deal on cinema tickets will be replaced with "EE Film Club," which offers its customers a weekly £1 movie rental from Wuaki.tv.
Now TV for EE TV is coming to your TV tomorrow
If you're "lucky" enough to be both an EE mobile and broadband subscriber, chances are you'll own one of the operator's new EE TV set-top boxes. While it essentially operates as a Freeview DVR, it also comes with a couple of notable apps like BBC iPlayer, Demand 5 and YouTube, but pickings are relatively slim. Sky's saw an opportunity for the taking, so it's picked EE customers to be the recipients of its new Now TV app. It'll go live tomorrow, a full month before Game of Thrones returns to screens, allowing you to watch Sky movie and TV content that you can't otherwise get on your EE TV box.
Vodafone to launch WiFi calling in the UK this summer
We've all experienced ropey reception at one time or another. Those frustrating moments when you really need to make a call, but the line just won't connect, or you're left trying to decipher broken, distorted responses from the other person. Now, following EE, Three and O2, Vodafone has announced plans to offer WiFi-enabled calls in the UK. Three and O2 have already launched their respective services, but to use them you need to have a dedicated app installed on your smartphone. EE is trialling a service that doesn't rely on any extra software, and today Vodafone says it'll be using a similar approach. So in theory, it'll work quietly in the background with minimal input. Provided you're connected to a WiFi network, calls will switch over automatically when you're out of network coverage.
EE kicks off 400 Mbps 4G trials at Wembley Stadium
EE was the first 4G network operator in the UK, and it's now hell-bent on staying the fastest. After launching its LTE-A network (aka 4G+) in central London last October, it's trialling new spectrum configurations that could boost speeds even further. If you haven't been keeping up with all the network developments, here's a quick primer: standard 4G can offer theoretical download speeds of up to 150 Mbps, while LTE-A doubles that hypothetical maximum to 300 Mbps. To achieve this, EE added an extra 20MHz of 2.6GHz spectrum on top of its existing 1800MHz band, and now the carrier's testing a three-band approach that leverages another 15MHz, boosting top download speeds to 400 Mbps.
BT confirms it's bought EE for £12.5 billion
It's been nearly a decade, but BT is officially returning to mobile. After months of talks, the landline and broadband giant has confirmed it will pay £12.5 billion to acquire EE, the UK's biggest operator. In an announcement, BT said it intends to provide customers with "innovative, seamless services that combine the power of fibre broadband with wi-fi and advanced mobile capabilities," targeting EE customers that don't already use its broadband services and delivering 4G connectivity to BT customers for the first time.
Dixons Carphone just made a deal that should avert a Phones4U-style disaster
Although there were a multitude of reasons behind Phones4U's demise, one of the key factors was the overwhelming lack of support from the UK's major carriers. Three and O2 severed ties with the company way in advance of its closure, but it was a shake of the head from both Vodafone and EE that dealt the final blow. For a short time, it looked as if the mobile reseller model could be under threat, spelling trouble for Phones4U rival Carphone Warehouse, a retailer that had just been picked up by Dixons Retail for £3.8 billion.
UK carriers agree £5 billion coverage improvements to avoid 'national roaming'
Ever since the notion of national roaming first appeared back in June, the UK government and the four major mobile operators have fought over how best to rid Britain of so-called "not-spots." Culture Secretary Sajid Javid wanted to implement a system where customers would be able to switch to an alternative network if their own wasn't available, but carriers argued that it would slow network expansions in rural areas, push up investment costs and potentially pass on that cost to subscribers. However, after months of talks, there's finally some good news to report -- plans for national roaming have now been scrapped, after EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three vowed to pump £5 billion into the UK's mobile infrastructure.
BT confirms talks to acquire EE for £12.5 billion
After weeks of speculation linking it with the acquisition of one of the UK's two biggest mobile carriers, BT has finally confirmed that EE will be the subject of its affection. The telecoms giant announced today that it has entered "exclusive negotiations" with a view to buying the Orange and Deutsche Telekom joint-venture for £12.5 billion. BT says the deal will allow it to "accelerate its existing mobility strategy" and re-enter the mobile market after it sold off O2 for £17.7 billion almost a decade ago.
Orange Wednesdays are coming to an end
Created as a way to boost flagging cinema attendances, Orange Wednesdays has become a mid-week tradition for many film fans. However, after a successful 10-year run, EE is finally pulling the plug. According to Marketing Magazine, the decision was made after the UK network struggled to hash out a new deal with its partner Cinema First. It means Orange Wednesdays and EE Wednesdays, which offered a stellar two-for-one deal on both cinema tickets and Pizza Express, will cease to exist come February 25th, 2015. It's not all doom and gloom though. EE says it has another "exclusive" offer planned for its customers in 2015, although we suspect it won't be related to theater tickets. In the meantime, you have just over two months (or 11 Wednesdays, to be precise) to take advantage of the decade-old promotion. We recommend heading here to see what'll be released in the weeks ahead.
EE TV gets the BBC's Red Button features and several new streaming apps
It's safe to say that EE's first foray into the living room, EE TV, has a few teething problems. Perhaps the most prominent is its small selection of on-demand services, which pales in comparison to other, more mature set-top boxes. The network operator has sought to tackle the issue with its first major platform update today, which adds apps for Deezer, Dailymotion, Euronews, Hopster and Cloudio TV. While any new services are an improvement, none of them are the sort of heavyweight providers we'd like to see landing on the device. Services like Netflix would be great, but ITV Player and 4oD would be a good start, too.
EE banks on small-antenna networks to fix its rural black spots
Mobile phone coverage in some of the UK's most rural areas is often patchy and unreliable. While the major networks are quick to promote the latest 4G speeds in densely populated cities, their ability to cater for people in the countryside is no less important. Today, EE unveiled a new "micro networks" initiative that uses small, linked antennas to improve coverage in remote areas. Instead of waiting for traditional masts to be built, local residents can use these discreet base stations to amplify the signal from EE's nearest available tower.
Three UK owner considers fighting BT to buy EE or O2
It's no secret that BT is eyeing a return to the mobile market, by way of either EE or O2, but its movement may have come at a cost. According to Reuters, BT's intentions have caught of attention of Hutchison Whampoa, owner of the UK's fourth biggest operator Three, which is now said to be readying a bid for one of the two mobile providers. BT will reportedly decide its course of action in the coming weeks, which could prompt rival bids from Chinese company.
EE confirms it's also talking to BT about a possible sale
BT surprised many when it confirmed it's currently in talks to buy back mobile operator O2, nearly 10 years after it sold the company to Telefonića. However, the telecoms giant said at the time that it wasn't interested in just one carrier. Rumours suggested that EE is the other subject of BT's affections, and sure enough those predictions were spot on. In a move to clear things up, Orange and Deutsche Telekom (50/50 owners of the UK's biggest mobile operator), today confirmed that they are engaged in "highly preliminary exploratory discussions with BT" over a possible sale. Its owners say they are keen to maximise value for shareholders while strengthening EE's market position, but say it's currently "too early to state whether any transaction may occur."
EE and O2 are now serving 4G inside the Channel Tunnel
Having mobile internet access inside the Channel Tunnel is useful, but where are those faster speeds we were promised? Well, after expanding their 2G and 3G networks in March, EE and O2 are finally offering 4G connectivity on the Eurostar. Vodafone could soon get in on the action too, after the network said in January it would also be rolling out its own 4G coverage inside the tunnel (although it's yet to provide any clues as to when that will happen). Regardless, the superfast speeds from EE and O2 mark another milestone for the iconic 31.4-mile underpass, which has been jettying passengers between England and France for over 20 years. So, the next time you travel to Paris (or beyond), you might want to rethink your preferred mode of transport -- if you want to stay connected and actually get some work done, the Eurostar could be a better option than a direct flight.
EE TV review: a decent set-top box with too many strings attached
EE has evolved rapidly since it became a household name two years ago after switching on the UK's first 4G mobile network. Today, it's more than just a carrier, with a home broadband business and a selection of own-brand mobile devices, among other things. And now, EE's decided to turn its hand to home entertainment, having recently launched the EE TV set-top box. Free and available only to customers of EE's mobile and broadband services, it's essentially a Freeview DVR with a few tricks up its sleeve. Tying into EE's primary focus on mobile, one of the fancier features is the box's ability to stream live and recorded video to multiple smartphones and tablets simultaneously. But is a free DVR with a couple of advanced capabilities enough of an incentive to get you signed up for the required services (which is sort of the point)? Not really, no.
EE's £79.99 'Buzzard 2' is an all-in-one 4G WiFi dongle for your car
In its bid to get more customers connecting to its 4G network while they travel, EE introduced the Buzzard, a £49.99 plug-and-play mobile hotspot designed specifically for the car. Launched in April, the device came in two separate parts, making it difficult to store and plug in during your journey. EE appears to have realised this, as today it's introducing its successor, the Buzzard 2. Like the original avian-themed dongle, the Buzzard 2 plugs into your car's dashboard and supports up to 10 WiFi connections. However, it comes with a new lighting system that makes it easier to use and can also serve as a USB charger, allowing you to charge your devices while you browse (when you're not driving, of course). EE's new hotspot is priced at £79.99 (£30 more than the original) when bought outright, but comes down to £19.99 when purchased with a £10 monthly plan, which includes 1GB of data. However, you can get it for free if you sign up for the £15 tariff, which lavishes you with 3GB of data every month. If you've got small kids intent on watching Netflix all the time, that allowance might not get you very far, but it'll do a job if you want a backup for your smartphone plan.
Ofcom's first 4G survey shows that speed isn't everything
All of Britain's major mobile networks have been offering 4G for a while now, but because all have their own infrastructure, speeds and coverage can vary wildly. Each carrier is quick to boast their own statistics, but thanks to Ofcom's first ever 4G research report (which tested networks in five of the biggest UK cities) we're finally able to separate fact from fiction. EE and O2 took first and second place in the all-important average download speed test, reaching 18.4Mbps and 15.6Mbps respectively, while Three claimed victory for the time needed to load a simple webpage. The carrier, which was originally a 3G-only operator and the last to offer its customers 4G connectivity, also took the gold medal for latency, which is crucial for video calls and apps that require fast response times.
National roaming: why mobile operators are fighting the UK government
The concept of national roaming first appeared back in June, when Culture Secretary Sajid Javid began advocating a system that would allow UK mobiles to switch networks in places where the carrier they're supposed to be on offers no signal. The idea is to rid Britain of so-called mobile "not-spots," rural areas where populations are small and coverage is minimal, by coercing the major carriers to share their networks with each other. The government recently launched a consultation to explore ways it can achieve this goal. Operators, however, have been vociferous in their opposition to the plans. What's their excuse?
Ofcom to expand 4G in the UK with new spectrum auction next year
The UK's four main carriers may steadily be building up their 4G coverage, but regulators don't want to leave the future of Britain's superfast networks to chance. UK communications regulator Ofcom today announced that it intends to auction more 4G spectrum late next year (or early 2016), giving operators to opportunity to expand their LTE networks with more high data capacity spectrum. It expects to raise between £50 and £70 million from the sale, which will then line the pockets of the government.
BT, HTC and EE develop tech that can pinpoint 999 calls to within metres
Every second counts for the emergency services. So to speed up response times, a new system developed by BT, HTC and EE can now pinpoint the location of a distress call to within just 30 metres or less (down from several kilometres). As soon as you dial 999, a text message with your position is sent to the operator in one of BT's call centres, verified and forwarded to the relevant emergency service. It should help police officers, paramedics and fire fighters arrive at the scene quicker, and assist the 330,000 emergency callers each year who are unable to speak on the phone. Right now, the feature is (unsurprisingly) only supported on EE's network and a selection of HTC phones, but it's hoped the technology will be picked up by other UK networks and handset makers in the future.
