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EE TV now available for free to mobile and broadband customers
EE is ready to take on the living room. The UK's largest mobile network is now offering its first TV set-top box, EE TV, for free to mobile customers with an EE Broadband plan (existing and new subscribers). The black box is currently only available in EE stores and supports over 70 Freeview channels, as well as video streaming services such as BBC iPlayer, YouTube and Wuaki.tv. Up to four different devices (including your TV) can use the service simultaneously, letting other family members with a smartphone or tablet watch whatever they like in another room.
EE flips the switch on its faster 4G network in London
EE's been conducting closed trials of LTE-Advanced technology since last year, so imagine the red faces when Vodafone reported earlier this month that its own faster 4G network was about to go live in three cities. EE's now being forced to play catch-up, but it's well on its way today after flipping its LTE-A network live in parts of central London, including Kensington, Old Street, Shoreditch, Soho, Southbank and Westminster. This 4G+ network, as EE brands it, should cover the whole of Greater London by the middle of next year, before rolling out to other big cities like Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester later. While standard LTE can deliver a theoretical maximum download speed of 150 Mbps, LTE-A doubles that to a maximum speed of 300 Mbps (though real-world speeds tend to be around half the max).
High Court forces UK ISPs to block websites selling fake luxury goods
Her Majesty's High Court of Justice has served as the stage for several high-profile cases in recent years that've resulted in UK ISPs being forced to block certain nefarious websites. Typically, these have involved entertainment giants that want to make it harder for illegal file-sharing sites like the infamous Pirate Bay to connect with their audiences. But now, ISPs have been given a new target: websites selling counterfeit goods. Said to be the first ruling of its kind in Europe, the High Court has today ordered that Sky, BT, Virgin, EE and TalkTalk -- which collectively provide 95 percent of all UK broadband -- must block a handful of websites that sell fake versions of products made by the likes of luxury brands Cartier and Mont Blanc.
EE's newest 4G tablet only costs £99
When Vodafone announced its first own-brand LTE tablet, the £125 Smart Tab 4G, earlier this week, it suddenly made EE's £209 Eagle look a little pricey. Knowing that cost is key in the lead-up to Christmas, the UK's biggest carrier isn't resting on its laurels and has shot back a its rival by pricing its latest 4G tablet even lower. At £99, the vibrant Alcatel ONE TOUCH Pop 7S, is the UK's most affordable pay-as-you-go 4G slate, according to EE, and comes with a 7-inch WSVGA 1024 x 600 display, Android 4.3 (Android 4.4 KitKat available via an OTA update), a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8926 processor, 1GB of RAM, 3-megapixel rear and 0.3 front facing cameras, 8GB storage (with microSD support) and a 3240 mAh battery. The operator will also throw in 100MB of free data every month with every 4G tablet bought between now and January 31st, sweetening the deal for parents or bargain hunters looking for a cheap connected tablet.
Vodafone launches faster 4G and expands LTE roaming to 23 countries
Are you a Vodafone 4G customer? Good news, your downloads could soon get that much quicker. As part of a billion pound investment into its network, the carrier has begun rolling out the UK's first widely accessible LTE Advanced network. LTE-A, as it's known, will go live in Birmingham, Manchester or London in the coming weeks, promising to boost signal and improve 4G speeds thanks to increased network capacity. LTE-A is actually capable of blistering maximum download speeds of 300Mbps, but that requires a Cat 6 LTE smartphone, which aren't sold in the UK currently (though you can import a compatible device from somewhere like Korea if you're so inclined). Faster 4G will come to more cities by the end of the year, allowing Vodafone to increase its lead over EE, which is currently conducting closed testing of its own LTE-A service.
EE snaps up what's left of Phones4u for less than £5 million
How long does it take for a successful phone retailer to enter administration and then be completely sold off? For Phones4u, it's taken exactly a month. The Financial Times reports that EE, the UK's biggest operator (which has been accused of contributing to Phones4u's downfall for not renewing its deal), has reached a agreement with administrators to snap up the remaining chunk of its former partner's business: its Life Mobile MVNO. The carrier reportedly beat Argos and Talk Talk to the deal, paying around £5 million to add 85,000 mobile subscribers to the 58 Phones4u stores it grabbed last month. EE already provides connectivity for Life Mobile, so merging the networks should be a lot easier than getting money back from a Phones4u iPhone 6 preorder.
EE TV is a set-top box that streams video to your mobile devices
Already the UK's biggest mobile network, EE is looking to branch out. The company today announced EE TV, a new set-top box that will serve up over 70 Freeview channels, as well as various catch-up and on-demand services. The box itself has DVR capabilities, with a 1TB drive capable of storing roughly 600 hours of recorded TV or film. Up to four channels can be recorded at any one time, and as you'd expect, you can pause and rewind live TV. With EE being a mobile network and all, smaller screen devices are integral to the product. EE TV will pump content to up to four different screens including your TV, so tablets and smartphones connected to the same WiFi network can tune in to different channels, watch on-demand video streams, or view anything that's been recorded to the box.
Phone number payments may soon come to the high street
While carrier billing might be changing the way we buy digital products like apps, music and ringtones, it hasn't yet become a mainstream method of payment. That could be set to change, however, after the UK's three largest carriers agreed a new deal that may soon let you pay for physical goods using only your phone number. EE, Vodafone and O2 have teamed up with payment provider Boku to offer carrier billing through the company's new e-Money service, which allows stores to request your number and have the purchase added to your phone bill. Of course, retailers will need to actively support the service, but with the major operators already pledging their support, we imagine stores would jump at the chance to make it easier for customers to pay.
Inside Wembley: why it wants to become the world's most connected stadium
With 90,000 seats, Wembley Stadium is the largest stadium in the UK and second biggest in Europe. Demolished in 2003, rebuilt and then re-opened in 2007, the £798 million arena has played home to domestic and European cup finals in various sports, England football qualifiers and numerous open air concerts. Its owners, the Football Association (FA), have strived to "deliver the best experience possible," and for a time, that mainly involved providing hospitality to various types of visitors at the stadium. However, as smartphone use has boomed, visitor needs have changed, and the stadium has been forced to evolve to match their requirements. That isn't to say its owners have resisted change, as we found out when we visited the sporting amphitheatre earlier this week.
EE scoops up 58 Phones4u stores
When Phones4u entered administration, it immediately shut all of its doors and put thousands of employees on notice. It didn't take long for Dixons Carphone to secure 800 positions, with Vodafone sweeping in shortly after to buy 140 Phones4u stores and save another 900 jobs. Now, it's EE's turn. The UK's biggest carrier has just announced that it's reached a deal with administrators to buy 58 outlets and bring 359 employees onto its books. It's moving quick too, confirming that it'll open the majority of stores within the next week. Over a year ago, EE began reducing its retail presence after its stores began saturating high streets, but now that it's joined Vodafone in pulling out of deals with Phones4u, the company will need to move quickly to fill the gaps left by its former partner.
EE will honour its iPhone 6 preorders from Phones4u tomorrow
Since EE is somewhat responsible for the reason Phones4u can no longer honour iPhone 6 or 6 Plus preorders, the network's trying to make it right, at least for some of you. The carrier's just told us that when Apple's latest handsets launch tomorrow, anyone that preordered on an EE plan through Phones4u can walk into a store and pick one up. If you're still keen on getting a day-one device, then take along a copy of the Phones4u preorder confirmation to get hooked up. EE's putting aside as many handsets as preorders it received via the troubled retailer, but you'll have to take out one of the network's own contract options, rather than whatever you may've opted for originally. Reserved iPhones will be spread out across the carrier's many stores, however, so there's always a chance you won't be successful at the first location you visit, but we guess that depends on how many went elsewhere when Phones4u folded. Sure, this is a bit of clever PR on EE's part, but if you helps you get the handset you want when you want it, then so be it.
EE updates its SIM-only plans with some cheaper options
It's been a busy month for EE already, with updated pay-as-you-go tariffs and a break-up with Phones4u that's forced the latter to shut-up shop. The bustle continues, however, and today the 4G network's announced revamped SIM-only plans for those who don't need no subsidized handset. On a one-year contract, pricing starts at £10 per month for 250MB of data and goes all the way to £28 per month for 10GB. Committing to only a 30-day plan makes it all a little more expensive at £13 for 250MB and £31 for 10 gigs. The top three data allowances of 2GB, 5GB and 10GB also get access to EE's "double-speed" network, as well as free calls to 080 numbers. They are only transient deals, though, and for new customers those caps will be reduced to 1GB, 3GB and 5GB, respectively, come the end of January next year. We know how much you love tables, so there's a handy one after the break that lays out all the new plans and their prices.
Dixons Carphone gives hundreds of stricken Phones4u employees new jobs
When Phones4u announced its surprise decision to call in the administrators, its 5,600 employees were left facing a very uncertain future. While the retailer is busy figuring out its options, one of it's biggest rivals, Dixons Carphone, has swooped in and offered a lifeline to some Phones4u staff. In a statement today, Dixons Carphone said it has reached an agreement with Phones4u to hire all 800 employees who had worked in a partnership between their stores.
Phones4u forced into administration after EE says it's pulling the plug
Less than two weeks ago, we remarked that things were looking tough for Phones4u. Today, it looks as though the company no longer has a future. After Vodafone said it was dropping its partnership deal with the company to go all in with Dixons Carphone, EE, the biggest carrier in the UK, has done what it threatened to do earlier in the year and announced it too is going alone. In a statement, Phones4u said that EE has decided not to renew its current contract, which expires in just over a year, leaving the company with no other choice than to call in the administrators. "The unexpected decisions by both Vodafone and EE have come as a complete shock to the business," it noted, adding that it'll honour existing contracts (no word on iPhone 6 pre-orders) but close stores while it assesses its options.
EE tries to upstage its rivals with improved pay-as-you-go tariffs
When you're the biggest 4G player in the UK, logic dictates that you don't let your rivals hog the limelight for too long. EE's well aware of this, so just a few days after Vodafone finally joined the 4G pay-as-you-go party, it's decided to improve the value of its pre-paid top-ups in an attempt to distance it from the competition. The new options cover three categories -- Talk and Text, Data and Everything -- letting you decide which of those usage models fits your needs best, possibly stopping you from paying for services you won't use. It's also dropped the lowest PAYG top-up to £1, which includes 100MB of data lasting seven days, in the hope it'll lure in even the most budget-conscious mobile user. Finally, it's ensuring you're rewarded for your loyalty by throwing in an extra 250MB of data, 50 minutes of calls to any network or 250 additional texts to customers who've not missed a top-up for three months. It's even created a comparison guide detailing how its new packs perform against rival offerings, just in case O2 and co. weren't already looking on enviously.
EE expands 4G roaming to 14 more countries, but the USA's still MIA
EE has today announced a fresh batch of countries its customers can take advantage of 4G roaming in, after starting out in France and Spain earlier this year. It's a diverse list, with 4G now available in several other European destinations (Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Moldova, Russia), as well as Canada, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and from tomorrow, South Korea. The USA is the only country absent from the list that EE said would be added by summer, but the network is promising to reach "all major travel destinations" by year's end. While the carrier might be making progress towards this goal, it's still using the tiresome model of selling capped data bundles to travellers. O2 and Vodafone, on the other hand, let you take your normal allowances abroad for a small fee, and Three being Three, provides the same service for free.
EE lets queue-jumpers pay 50p for faster customer service
If it didn't already feel like mobile operators were squeezing you for every penny, EE's new customer service charge could certainly help drive that notion home. BBC News reports that the carrier has introduced a new option on its support lines, allowing you to pay 50 pence to jump to the front. Think of it as the opposite of net neutrality, but for support centres.
EE's NFC payment app now works on London buses
Last week, EE said its Cash on Tap NFC wallet app would soon work with Tube barriers when they start accepting contactless payments next month. Today, the carrier's announced you don't have to wait to try travelling the NFC way, as Cash on Tap can now be used to pay fares on London buses. The capital's bus network has taking contactless payments from sources other than Oyster cards since December 2012, but EE's claiming it's the first to implement NFC support. Daily fare caps for multiple bus journeys work with any contactless payment method already, just like if you were using an Oyster card, but today Transport for London has introduced a new weekly fare cap for bus travel paid this way. A weekly fare cap will also be introduced on the Tube when contactless payments go live in September.
London's Tube to accept contactless payments from September 16th
The contactless payment feature on your bank card is ideal for speeding up minor purchases, and soon it'll be able to replace your Oyster, too. London buses have supported contactless payments for some time, and Transport for London (TfL) has today announced that come September 16th, they'll get you through the barriers at Tube, Overground and DLR stations as well. The benefit of using your bank card is you never have to top it up, and in addition to the daily cap on travel charges already in place, any method of contactless payment will also be subject to a new weekly cap (Monday to Sunday), whereby TfL figures out the cheapest possible fare for that period. You'll be able to keep track of your journey and payment history via an online account, much like you can with a registered Oyster card now. Implementing contactless payments across the wider London transport network comes after a pilot that's been running since April, but TfL are still looking for new lab rats to test the system before its formal launch.
UK's major carriers want to end mobile deadspots in England's National Parks
Whether you live in, work in or are just visiting one of England's National Parks, you may soon be able to take advantage of better mobile signal. The UK's four major carriers have extended their partnership with National Parks England to deliver better connectivity while protecting the environment and picturesque views in 10 parks across the country. Under the terms of the new accord, the Mobile Operators Association (which represents EE, O2, Vodafone and Three) will allow the sharing of mobile masts, sites and "any other technical advances," keeping development in rural areas to a minimum. It also covers the provision of 4G networks, which could be a boon for the 330,000 people living in England's National Parks, as they have the potential to reach places that broadband connections can't.
