Three UK to Offer 4G to Customers for Free
How's that for undercutting the prices of the competition?
With O2 and Vodafone's simultaneous 4G LTE roll outs, the UK's 4G market is suddenly looking a lot more interesting. Up until currently, it's just been EE. Now it's a party!! Well, if you thought two more players made things interesting, you haven't heard Three's plan.
The carrier this week announced that it will offer 4G LTE service to its customers for free. The catch is that customers will have to wait until Three actually launches its network, which won't be until December. In a post published the same day that O2 and Vodafone celebrated their respective LTE launches, Three said that every customer with a 4G-ready device will get a 4G upgrade at no extra cost. No new contract, no new SIM, and no new monthly charges.
Three says that the December launch will include London, Birmingham, and Manchester. It plans to add a further 50 cities in 2014, and is aiming for 98 percent of the UK by the end of 2015. Comparatively, O2 is looking to cover 13 cities by the end of the year, while Vodafone is aiming for 12 cities. EE just hit 100 towns covered and hopes to have 98 percent of the population covered by the end of 2014 (though it's important to factor in the fact that EE had a one year jump on the competition).
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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grantwar Finally! A network that's actually offering a service which isn't ridiculously overpriced.Reply
The current 3G data prices are high, but within reason... 4G data bundles on EE are just ludicrously overpriced, and to be honest, up until this announcement I haven't thought of 4G as a viable service due to this issue. -
Grandmastersexsay That's how all the cell phone carriers in the U.S. operate.Reply
Btw, that is a ridiculously misleading title. Their 4G rates will be the same as the 3G, which is not free. I suppose I wouldn't have read an appropriately titled article, so job well done. -
irish_adam Reply11466391 said:That's how all the cell phone carriers in the U.S. operate.
Btw, that is a ridiculously misleading title. Their 4G rates will be the same as the 3G, which is not free. I suppose I wouldn't have read an appropriately titled article, so job well done.
the title isnt really misleading, admittedly they probably should have said existing customers but the fact is that if you have an LTE phone and a three contract you dont have to do or pay anything to get 4G which sounds like free to me -
womble Will be interesting to see if the fifteen pounds a month all you can eat data on PAYG works. 300 minutes, thousands of texts and unlimited 4G data for that monthly sum sounds very good in comparison to the others. Mind you, their coverage can be very patchy. Fingers crossed.Reply -
rwinches Verizon to buy Vodafone 1Q14.Reply
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/02/verizon-vodafone-deal_n_3856677.html