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Crikey, as if choosing a phone contract wasn’t complicated enough, EE has split its 4G offering into two distinct sets of contracts, one of which gets you much faster data speeds — for a price.
There’s 4G, and then there’s 4G
Dubbed ‘4GEE Extra’, the new contracts get you theoretical maximum speeds of 150Mbps, though EE says you’re more likely to get about 60Mbps.
By comparison, the regular ‘4GEE’ plans will soon be capped at 30Mbps, and get you average speeds of between 12 and 15Mbps, according to the operator. This is a bit of a shame, as previously EE’s double-speed data was available to all customers.
Update: EE has been in touch to let us know that its ‘double-speed’ data will still be available to all customers, but is capped at 30Mbps unless you’re on EE Extra. The network says that in cities where double-speed is available, customers on the regular 4G tariffs can expect average speeds of between 24-30Mbps.
Update 2: EE has further clarified that existing customers won’t have their data speeds limited, only those who sign up for regular 4G from 30 October.
The cheapest 4GEE Extra tariff starts at £27 per month, for which you get 4GB of data and unlimited calls and texts. You can see a complete price breakdown in the chart below.
‘Extra’ deals also get you free roaming calls and texts to selected countries, including the US and Australia, and access to fast-track customer service, though they really can be very pricey, especially if you’re buying them with a top-of-the-range smart phone like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 or iPhone 5S.
New £19 per month contract
EE has introduced a new cheapest monthly contract price, that’ll set you back £19 per month. For that you get 500MB of data and unlimited texts, plus 1,000 UK minutes. Again, expect that monthly rate to climb if you opt for a fancier smart phone with your contract.
EE is also adding pay as you go to its 4G roster, with plans that see you paying for calls, texts and data separately.
Would you pay extra for even faster 4G? Or is 30Mbps plenty for you? Let me know your 4G preferences in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.
