EE today (October 30) launched the UK's first 4G network in 11 cities, enabling users to access mobile internet speeds up to five times faster than 3G, albeit at a cost.
The entry 4G tariff costs £36 per month and includes just 500MB of data. A plan offering 1GB of monthly data costs £41 per month; the 3GB plan costs £46 per month; the 5G tariff £51 per month; and an up-to-8GB heavy use plan will set people back £56 per month. All of these are 24-month plans.
© Nokia
EE, formerly Everything Everywhere, has teamed up with Phones4u to offer a range of 4G-enabled handsets to consumers on its 4G data plans.
From today, Phones 4u is selling the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE in both white and titanium, priced at £29.99 on 4G EE plans from £46 a month.
Apple's LTE iPhone 5 is available in both white and black, and costs £19.99 on the top-end £56-a-month plan.
From early November, the range will expand to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE in white and grey, priced at £29.99 on the £56-a-month tariff.
The Huawei Ascend P1 LTE will be free from £41-a-month on 4G EE and the retailer will offer the Nokia Lumia 920 in black and white in a shared exclusive to EE, along with red and yellow variants of the Windows Phone 8 handset.
Nokia's mid-range Lumia 820 will be available in black, white, red and yellow at Phones 4u, free from £36-a-month on 4G EE.
EE, the joint venture of Orange and T-Mobile, is now offering 4G in Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton.
More cities, including Belfast, Derby, Glasgow, Hull, Newcastle and Nottingham, will be added to EE's 4G network by the end of the year.
EE says that on average 4G mobile coverage will be available to around 2 million more people in Britain every single month from now until the end of 2014, when the company hopes to have 98% coverage of the population.
Scott Hooton, the chief commercial officer at Phones 4u, said that the EE 4G launch is a "landmark development" for the UK mobile industry.
"We know that three quarters of our customers are aware of 4G and believe it will give them improved internet and faster download speeds and we're thrilled that Phones 4u will be working so closely alongside EE to provide an exclusive and exciting 4G experience to our customers," Hooton said.
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"Through delivering the widest range of 4G smartphones on the UK high street, we're aiming to help consumers truly understand the offering and benefit as much as possible from mobile speeds of up to five times faster than 3G on some of the nation's most cutting-edge smartphones."
EE indirect sales director Nathan Vautier added: "Today we are launching the country's first ever superfast 4G mobile and Fibre Broadband services.
"This will offer our customers new and enhanced experiences, with 4G mobile speeds five times faster than today, and pioneering new services and devices.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Phones 4u for their dedicated support leading up to this exciting, industry-changing day and the launch of our new services."
