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EE4G (UK) Is it worth it?

James Godfrey

James Godfrey

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Oct 13, 2011
2,074
1,713
Hi all,

Just started a new 24 month contract on tmobile with the iPhone 5... am considering moving to EE upon launch as it states that we will have to restart our 24 months contracts if moving over.

However, our town is not listed to be 4G ready by the end of 2012. Do you think it is still worth moving over to EE ASAP as if 12 months down the line EE is available to me, it wouldnt be worth then signing up to a new 24 month contract, and so would be 4g-less for 12 months.

What are your thoughts is it worth moving ASAP or wait until my upgrade in 2 years time?

Thanks

James
 
Am with T-Mobile at the moment and if i carry on getting these speeds on 3G then there is no need to switch to EE 4G unless the prices are the same.
 

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Thats what I am thinking at the moment, how do you think the pricing will be? Something along the lines of T-Mobiles pricing but with the added 4G on it, or do you think they are going to charge the earth for it?

Im currently on 46/month Full Monty which I think is a good deal, am hoping for something with the similar pricing 46/month unlimited everything, plus so many GB of 4g maybe....

James
 
As they have not revealed any prices yet who knows but seeing as its not gonna be in your area for another year why would you consider it?
 
Nathan20 said:
Am with T-Mobile at the moment and if i carry on getting these speeds on 3G then there is no need to switch to EE 4G unless the prices are the same.
Click to expand...

Wow where do you live?
I'm in north london and the best I can get is around 4mbps download speed with ping around 100....
 
Nathan20 said:
Am with T-Mobile at the moment and if i carry on getting these speeds on 3G then there is no need to switch to EE 4G unless the prices are the same.
Click to expand...

Am I missing something? In the pic your carrier is EE
 
Nathan20 said:
Am with T-Mobile at the moment and if i carry on getting these speeds on 3G then there is no need to switch to EE 4G unless the prices are the same.
Click to expand...

As long as you are consistently getting 20mb/s down then there is no need to switch. But I suspect, as the network become more popular, and there are more users online, your speed will drop, because of the total bandwidth per cell is still the same.

Whereas LTE has a much high bandwidth per cell, you are more likely to see between 50mb/s - 20mb/s (which is what I get in the States).

Another huge difference is in the uplink speed on LTE, if that is important to you.

But 19.23 is pretty impressive for HSPA+ :cool:
 
looks like they have improved the 3G in my area as we get closer to launch day and being in one of the first 16 cities to get 4G on launch.

this is the fastest I have seen on my phone on Orange ever in my house.
 

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Jeez i'd take 4! I get almost 2 on a very good day!

Seems i've traded speed for at least having a good signal so i don't need to stand out in the garden to take a call!
 
EE is a new company formed from the merger between t-mobile and orange. Those customers are seeing EE as they are using EE's 3G network but to make use of their 4g LTE they need an actual EE sim and one of their LTE plans.

The name change is actually just a sales trick where they are reinforcing the brand. A strange one though as most will just assume they are getting 4g as they are on LTE so won't bother changing plans.

I'm guesting EE LTE will be an additional £5-£10 on top of the current orange prices with a 1gb data allowance.
 
andybno1 said:
any hints on tariff costs?
Click to expand...


nothing yet. there is a training module that has appeared for consumer & business EE plans but it's password protected atm..

I think theres hints of 18 month sim only deals. will have a better snoop around tmrw.
 
The reason I am considering switching to EE asap is because I have just started a 24 month contract with T-Mobile, which (if 4G rolls out in my area in 12 months time) I will have to restart the contract term in order to get the 4G speeds, so in a way it makes sense to possibly switch ASAP.

This is from the EE.co.uk website:

4G: Subject to coverage. UK only. Pay monthly only. A compatible 4G plan on EE is required. You’ll have to agree to a new 18 or 24 month minimum term on EE. Other terms apply. No charge to move to EE if you move to same length plan on EE or longer. Charges apply if you move to a shorter plan on EE. You’ll need to choose a new EE plan with the same monthly charge or higher than your old Orange or T-Mobile plan. iPhone 5: Phones from other networks will need to be unlocked by them. You should check with your network. Superfast 4GEE: just how fast your 4G will be depends on a couple of things: where you are and how many other people are using 4G too. Have a quick look at ee.co.uk for more info. Largest 3G network: based on total number of 3G transmitters. 5 times faster 3G: based on 1.5 Mbps UK average speed for 3G (source: most recent Ofcom speed survey) and 8-12 Mbps average speed for 4GEE (source: EE data). Coverage: When we launch 4GEE, 10 of the 16 cities listed will be enabled. Those are Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Sheffield. We’re aiming to cover as much of each city as we can, but all postcodes may not be enabled at the same time. We aim to have coverage in place for all 16 cities listed above by the end of 2012. More detailed coverage information will be on our website shortly. When 4GEE launches, you should complete a personal coverage check and decide whether to move to EE.


Judging by this say 12 months into my contract if I then move over to EE to take advantage of LTE, I will have to either get a 18 or 24 month contract with the same or greater value, therefore increasing the time for my upgrade by 6 - 12 months.

James
 
James Godfrey said:
The reason I am considering switching to EE asap is because I have just started a 24 month contract with T-Mobile, which (if 4G rolls out in my area in 12 months time) I will have to restart the contract term in order to get the 4G speeds, so in a way it makes sense to possibly switch ASAP.

This is from the EE.co.uk website:

4G: Subject to coverage. UK only. Pay monthly only. A compatible 4G plan on EE is required. You’ll have to agree to a new 18 or 24 month minimum term on EE. Other terms apply. No charge to move to EE if you move to same length plan on EE or longer. Charges apply if you move to a shorter plan on EE. You’ll need to choose a new EE plan with the same monthly charge or higher than your old Orange or T-Mobile plan. iPhone 5: Phones from other networks will need to be unlocked by them. You should check with your network. Superfast 4GEE: just how fast your 4G will be depends on a couple of things: where you are and how many other people are using 4G too. Have a quick look at ee.co.uk for more info. Largest 3G network: based on total number of 3G transmitters. 5 times faster 3G: based on 1.5 Mbps UK average speed for 3G (source: most recent Ofcom speed survey) and 8-12 Mbps average speed for 4GEE (source: EE data). Coverage: When we launch 4GEE, 10 of the 16 cities listed will be enabled. Those are Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Sheffield. We’re aiming to cover as much of each city as we can, but all postcodes may not be enabled at the same time. We aim to have coverage in place for all 16 cities listed above by the end of 2012. More detailed coverage information will be on our website shortly. When 4GEE launches, you should complete a personal coverage check and decide whether to move to EE.


Judging by this say 12 months into my contract if I then move over to EE to take advantage of LTE, I will have to either get a 18 or 24 month contract with the same or greater value, therefore increasing the time for my upgrade by 6 - 12 months.

James
Click to expand...

You haven't bolded the most important bit!! 8-12 Mbps average speed for 4GEE .....hence no point whatsoever unless they offer a monthly rolling SIM only deal which is cheaper than my current £12.90.....which is about as likely as winning the lottery.
 
I work for EE and have been told nothing apart from tariffs will cost an extra £5ish. You wouldn't need to enter into ANOTHER 24mnth contract when switching to EE, it would just be a talkplan change on your existing account. Myself, I'm not bothering switching to EE for my iPhone 5, 3G speeds are good enough for me and I don't want to lose my Orange Wednesdays.
 
Hawtin said:
I work for EE and have been told nothing apart from tariffs will cost an extra £5ish. You wouldn't need to enter into ANOTHER 24mnth contract when switching to EE, it would just be a talkplan change on your existing account. Myself, I'm not bothering switching to EE for my iPhone 5, 3G speeds are good enough for me and I don't want to lose my Orange Wednesdays.
Click to expand...

Someone else who posted who works for EE shows screens saying that EE customers will get Orange Wednesdays and the free film rental current orange customers get.

£5 for limited coverage and speeds slower than HSPA+. Errrmm, someone at EE needs to do the math. But, its all about sales and marketing and if you tell people 4G is better they will pay for it without actually knowing jack. Heck, just look at all those youtube vids of people who belived their iPhone 4 was 4G because of the name and could see it's wireless was faster... when it wasnt.
 
Mercenary said:
Someone else who posted who works for EE shows screens saying that EE customers will get Orange Wednesdays and the free film rental current orange customers get.

£5 for limited coverage and speeds slower than HSPA+. Errrmm, someone at EE needs to do the math. But, its all about sales and marketing and if you tell people 4G is better they will pay for it without actually knowing jack. Heck, just look at all those youtube vids of people who belived their iPhone 4 was 4G because of the name and could see it's wireless was faster... when it wasnt.
Click to expand...

EE had confirmed on their twitter than Orange Wednesdays and Magic Numbers were Orange products and EE wouldnt be offering them.
 
waste of time for an extra amount of speed.

the 5 even on vodafone is pretty damn quick...better than on the 4S.
 
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