EE slashes 4G prices and introduces higher data allowance

wavejockglwwavejockglw Posts: 10,596
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What an embarrassment..... after them saying they had a good response to their miserable 4G offering they have had to come up with something better in a matter of weeks. 4G for EE looks like a marketing disaster with time running out as the only 4G provider.

"Consumers can now sign up to a 24 month contract from £31 per month, a £5 saving on the original entry level tariff, which gives consumers 500MB of data. Devices such as the HTC One SV LTE and Nokia Lumia 820 are available for upfront payments from £29.99.

Previously the maximum that could be downloaded per month on a 4G EE contract was 8GB but the operator said it has upped this to 20GB after consumer responses. The new plan, which is available in store from today, is available for £46 per month on a 12 month Sim-only plan between now and 28 February, and £61 per month thereafter. Alternatively, consumers can get the tariff with a 4G handset for £61 per month across 24 months until 28 February and then £76 per month afterwards. A new Sim-only 12 month 8GB plan has also been launched, priced £41 per month.

[...]

'It’s fair to say that EE has attracted a fair degree of criticism not so much for the price of the 4G tariffs, but rather on the amount of data bundled at each level. EE was always going to have a difficult role to play being the first mover. However, its peers may be grateful for attempting to move away from an all-you-can-eat world for data to an attempt to monetise it. Offering a more generous (but capped), data allowance for ‘super-users’ is still consistent with that pragmatic move."

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/News/23902/EE_slashes_4G_prices_unveils_heavy_user_tariff.aspx

Still can't see the value for the average smartphone user in the 500MB deal and the 20GB deal is way above the reach of most. £76 a month for a smartphone with voice/text and 20GB of data for 24 months (£1824!!!).... are they on the same planet as the rest of us? How long before EE have to revise their prices again? Oh and what about the poor folks who signed up at the higher rates?
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Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 996
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    Still ridiculously expensive... With 4G you will burn through 500mb very quickly!
  • wavejockglwwavejockglw Posts: 10,596
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    I have reread the EE 4G deals over a few times now and they are drop dead bonkers!

    Good luck to them trying to attract interest in the new technology at those prices.

    Right now I can't think what I would need 4G for, especially at those price levels.

    I know what EE stands for now - "Exceedingly Expensive"
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 996
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    I have reread the EE 4G deals over a few times now and they are drop dead bonkers!

    Good luck to them trying to attract interest in the new technology at those prices.

    Right now I can't think what I would need 4G for, especially at those price levels.

    I know what EE stands for now - "Exceedingly Expensive"

    Lol that's brilliant! :D I am with Orange at the moment but there's no way i'd go over to EE, it's just so expensive I have no idea why you would pay more money for less data, so okay it's a bit faster but only in cities anyway and i think i'd rather wait a few more seconds than pay tonnes extra for just some more speed in cities. When prices come down i'll think about it but not yet it's just too much.

    Thing is they are the first network to release 4G so of course they are gonna milk it
  • Richard_TRichard_T Posts: 5,159
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    ajh94 wrote: »

    Thing is they are the first network to release 4G so of course they are gonna milk it

    but 4G is only available in a few select areas, the rest of the time you will be paying all that extra for 3G, and form what ive read some other networks have a 3G speed that is almost as fast as EE.
    it seems like EE is a case of pay more, get less.
  • legends wear 7legends wear 7 Posts: 2,102
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    Quite happy with DC-HSPA thanks at just £12.90 a month with unlimited data
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 996
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    Exactly!! I'd rather have unlimited DC-HSPA+ with like 20mbps speeds on a 30day plan for under £15 a month... Yet EE expect people to pay £36 a month for a measly 500mb on a 2 year plan and with only a small speed bump from DC-HSPA+... Why anyone would do that i'll never know
  • davybhoydavybhoy Posts: 1,296
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    Who would have though it? Wavejock giving off about EE and 4G.

    Whatever next?:rolleyes:

    And for the record, I am very happy with my contract thanks. As are a lot of other I believe...
  • Synthetic42Synthetic42 Posts: 1,690
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    Important question is, will these prices and allowances change for current customers?....
  • jabbamk1jabbamk1 Posts: 8,942
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    Whats funny is that it was only a couple of years ago that o2 & Vodafone were charging over £60pm for unlimited calls and texts + 1GB data. It's going to take some time before 4G prices come down.
  • The Lord LucanThe Lord Lucan Posts: 5,054
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    Happy 4G customer... in fact LTE coverage here is actually better than 02's 3G lol!!

    Why is everyone complaining that it costs MORE to get a BETTER product. What makes everyone think the others including Wavejocks beloved O2... all will have premium prices.

    AJH not just the speed.. its the latency, priority data and the increased urban coverage.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    They should do what Three do and charge per gigabyte, rather than limited per month.

    They'll make more money that way.
  • davybhoydavybhoy Posts: 1,296
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    Happy 4G customer... in fact LTE coverage here is actually better than 02's 3G lol!!

    Why is everyone complaining that it costs MORE to get a BETTER product. What makes everyone think the others including Wavejocks beloved O2... all will have premium prices.

    AJH not just the speed.. its the latency, priority data and the increased urban coverage.

    This bit gets me too. NO ONE yet knows what O2/Vodafone or 3 will charge for their 4G products so why not reserve judgement until you see what their prices will be?

    Also, I fully expect that the prices from other networks will probably be cheaper than EE's launch price when they launch in order for competition and that is also probably why EE have now dropped prices.

    They were obviously going to be dear for an EXCLUSIVE PREMIUM PRODUCT when it first launched! If you were the only airline that was flying from UK to USA you would be very expensive but as others enter the market you would have to lower prices to be competitive! It's perfectly good business sense!!
  • wavejockglwwavejockglw Posts: 10,596
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    Oh no not the silly O2 nonsense again on a thread discussing EE's 4G pricing.

    Why can't some people stop themselves spouting ridiculous off-topic stuff?

    The fact is that EE seem to have learned little form the errors of the last major technology change when 3 launched 3G far too early and with tariffs that were very unattractive. Without other revenue streams (like Orange and T-Mobile) 3 quickly changed but still could not make much of an impression due to coverage, reliability and the lack of any killer application for 3G. Happily 3 have now made huge improvements and deserve some success for their clear customer offering of all you can eat data which has worked well for them in the era of the smartphone.

    The major issue is what does an EE contact buy you? If you can replace your fixed line broadband and phone line then it might be a reasonable proposition but for most that is not going to be an option because many have now got hybrid products that cover Pay TV, voice and broadband and that for lots of customers is unlimited with Wi-Fi allowing all the data a smartphone needs at home.

    The number of folk who need 20GB on a mobile per month must be fairly small as the majority of customers still probably use their mobiles mainly for browsing, Facebook, some YouTube and keeping up with the news. The few that want streaming and to download large files must surely look to 3 for the best deals. Despite what EE think most folks are not bothered about technology, they are only bothered about what the technology can do for them and in the case of 4G they have not bothered to justify the speed benefits other than for the sake of being able to state you have a faster connection. That is simply not good enough and a 500MB allowance on a £31 a month contract with LTE is an utter joke.

    EE did well to keep their Orange and T-Mobile brands as the EE venture looks set to be a monumental disaster that they only have themselves to blame for. Sure one expects early adopters to pay a bit more but EE are only going to make the small number of those they have managed to attract very unhappy once the market opens up to competition.

    I bet the marketing departments at Vodafone, 3 and O2 are having a good laugh at the antics of their counterparts at EE today.
  • slick1twoslick1two Posts: 2,877
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    DC HSPA+ on an unlimited data plan is the best option right now. Get a compatible phone and you're on your way. Why pay well over the odds for speeds that are IN THEORY better, but in reality, not always so. Makes no sense.
  • Lidtop2013Lidtop2013 Posts: 4,327
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    Lol I get 8-10mbps download speed (consistently) on Three network, so I for one would never be interested in 4G, I mean if I tether my phones net to my laptop I can watch HD videos without it buffering...........
  • The Lord LucanThe Lord Lucan Posts: 5,054
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    Oh no not the silly O2 nonsense again on a thread discussing EE's 4G pricing.

    It's to balance your constant EE/Three bashing near enough EVERY post started by you is related to a negative of one the two networks. Every non EE/Three post or replies by you is arguing a positive for O2...... you are the ridiculously biased thread starter.


    EE did well to keep their Orange and T-Mobile brands as the EE venture looks set to be a monumental disaster that they only have themselves to blame for. Sure one expects early adopters to pay a bit more but EE are only going to make the small number of those they have managed to attract very unhappy once the market opens up to competition.

    I bet the marketing departments at Vodafone, 3 and O2 are having a good laugh at the antics of their counterparts at EE today.

    By disaster you mean not part of a failing company (telefonica), having the best 3G coverage in the UKm big chunk of it HSPA with just under 50% DC-HSDPA, first to market with LTE now in every major UK city, modernisation and upgrade of whole network within the next year or so. Still having the largest user base in the UK... etc etc


    OMG TOTES A FAILURE.
  • The Lord LucanThe Lord Lucan Posts: 5,054
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    Lidtop2013 wrote: »
    Lol I get 8-10mbps download speed (consistently) on Three network

    Any chance of a screen cap of a speed test right now on Three? Not trying to be argumentative just i notice they slow down where i live quite a bit at this time.
  • SkipTracerSkipTracer Posts: 2,959
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    I wonder what sort of prices will be announced by the new kids on the block in March.

    LIFE Mobile...

    http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/news/20130122-phones4u-announces-life-mobile-network-4g-coming-later-year
  • mooxmoox Posts: 18,880
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    Oh no not the silly O2 nonsense again on a thread discussing EE's 4G pricing.

    Why can't some people stop themselves spouting ridiculous off-topic stuff?

    ....


    I bet the marketing departments at Vodafone, 3 and O2 are having a good laugh at the antics of their counterparts at EE today.

    I am not in a position to find a link, but an O2 bigwig stated that they fully intend to charge a "premium" price for 4G.

    Even 3 have said that they won't rule out removing unlimited data once they launch LTE.

    So it's really debatable as to whether the other networks won't follow what EE have done.
  • DevonBlokeDevonBloke Posts: 6,835
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    HEY, EVERYONE, FIGHT... FIGHT..... bloody hell, where's Thine when you need him Hahahahaha LOL :D
    Sorry, another monotonous work day, I couldn't resist.

    Seriously though, Lucan is right, it's not just the speed. In fact I don't really care as long as it's over 10 Meg. For me it's the coverage. It's similar to 2G! I really really don't know why EE are not making more of this. This is precisely the reason I'm on 4G and I don't even have it yet (well I do if I drive to Plymouth) :)

    Only yesterday I was in a customer's house needing to tether their laptop to my iPhone. The house was very rural. 3G was almost there but not quite. Just about usable in the window but very slow. The 2G signal (coming from the same cell I hasten to add) was giving me 2 (nearly 3) bars on the table. If that cell had LTE (which it will eventually) I could have downloaded that 130 Meg HP driver in seconds.
    As it was I had to wait 15 mins for their crappy ADSL to do it.

    Even if the LTE was "breathing in" a bit and giving me 1 bar I would still have had 10-20 Meg. For me it will change the way I work, no doubt.

    Why aren't they pushing the coverage thing more?
  • Thine WonkThine Wonk Posts: 17,190
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    Devon posted this days ago and said it was coming, we said back then it was far too much and for 1/4 of the price you could get unlimited DC-HSPA.
  • The Lord LucanThe Lord Lucan Posts: 5,054
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    Does LTE even breath? They won't pump the coverage thing as it's variable.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,335
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    awh, had hoped the £21 a month sim only would get a data allowance boost, I'd sign up if it were perhaps 1gb but at 500mb, no chance.
  • tarziontarzion Posts: 663
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    Important question is, will these prices and allowances change for current customers?....

    unfortunately not... expect more EE bashing soon...
  • wavejockglwwavejockglw Posts: 10,596
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    It's to balance your constant EE/Three bashing near enough EVERY post started by you is related to a negative of one the two networks. Every non EE/Three post or replies by you is arguing a positive for O2...... you are the ridiculously biased thread starter.

    You post nothing other than personalised comments about others who want to discuss mobile technology and the products.

    I have no wish to stoop to that level. Can the thread be allowed to discuss EE's price revision without further personalisation?
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