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UK 4G carrier EE has postponed the launch of its SIM-free plans, frustrating unlocked iPhone 5 owners in the process, after delays in the testing procedure. Originally expected to go live for new sign-ups today, the SIM-free plans will now :be delayed by a few days,” EE told Coolsmartphone, pushing the launch back into early next week, though not as bad as the carrier previously warned.

In a tweet sent out last night, EE admitted that its SIM-free plans might be delayed by as much as two weeks, though failed to give any indication as to why the schedule had changed. Those exact reasons are still in short supply, with EE only blaming its testing process in general.

“The launch of SIM only plans (due Nov 9) will be delayed by a few days as a result of our comprehensive testing process over-running slightly. We know many customers are anticipating these plans and apologise for this short hold up. However they will be reassured that we are determined to offer the very best service possible” EE

However, there have been anecdotal reports across Twitter and other channels of users – whether EE subscribers, or T-Mobile UK/Orange subscribers – experiencing issues keeping a stable connection and achieving 4G/3G speeds. There’s also a fair degree of rebranding confusion, with T-Mobile and Orange subscribers not understanding why the new umbrella “EE” brand is suddenly showing up on their phone.

EE’s pricing for SIM-free plans is somewhat more palatable than its widely-criticized regular plans. The company offers £15 per month off of its regular contract plans, with a twelve month agreement; alternatively, there’s £5 per month off for 30-day rolling contract plans.

Update: EE has given us a new version of the statement, which switches the “few days” of the first to “within the next two weeks.”

“Our 4GEE SIM only plans will now be launching within the next two weeks. We know many customers are keen to get their hands on our SIM only plans and we are looking forward to offering them as soon as our testing process is complete. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause” EE

EE delays UK LTE SIM-free option after testing drags is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Last week, EE publicly flipped the switch on its 4G network. Launching LTE in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and (parts of) Southampton. EE also plans for an additional five cities before the new year. The new phone network, composed of equal parts T-Mobile and Orange, has other plans — and they start from £21 SIM-only (starting November 9th) while phone packages begin at £36 per month. For that, the new network offers its customers 500MB of data, plus unlimited calls and texts.

The data plans scale up from there, all the way up to 8GB of monthly data, alongside a system of on-off data bundles. So being an earlier adopter comes at a very specific cost — are the wonders of a next-generation network worth it? We inserted a fresh EE 4G SIM into an iPhone 5 and now have been using it for over a week, get our full verdict after the break.

Continue reading A week with the iPhone 5 on EE, the UK’s first 4G network

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

A week with the iPhone 5 on EE, the UK’s first 4G network originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Nov 2012 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T will have more to come after its Windows Phone 8 launches are underway this month, as it’s has committing to launching two of its previously promised affordable devices on November 16th. Its mid-tier Samsung Galaxy Express will go on sale that day with a $100 contract price to satisfy those who want a Galaxy S III-like experience at half the cost. Those who just want LTE and HSPA data should also find Novatel’s MiFi Liberate touchscreen hotspot on sale for $50 under similar terms. Neither will necessarily shake up the mobile world, but they won’t have to at their prices.

Continue reading AT&T ships $100 Samsung Galaxy Express, $50 MiFi Liberate hotspot on November 16th

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Networking, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T

AT&T ships $100 Samsung Galaxy Express, $50 MiFi Liberate hotspot on November 16th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T will pump $14bn into 4G and wireline expansion over the next three years, the carrier has announced, in an attempt to blanket 300m people with LTE by the end of 2014. The frantic deployment will see the lion’s share – $8bn – spent on wireless, with $6bn on wireline initiatives, and has been dubbed Project Velocity IP (VIP); AT&T will also increasingly look to get consumers and businesses wanting broadband connections online via 4G when wired hook-ups are impractical.

So far, AT&T’s goal has been to get 250m people covered by LTE service by the end of next year. This new target extends that by a further 50m over 12 months; when it comes to the 22 states AT&T has wireline service, the carrier says it plans to cover 99-percent of customer locations.

Internet connections, meanwhile, will get faster than before, with Project VIP targeting up to 75Mbps U-verse rates and up to 45Mbps U-vers IPSDLAM rates. AT&T will also invest in wirelessly-connected cars, delivering real-time traffic updates and entertainment to drivers, as well as feeding vehicle diagnostics back to manufacturers.

Part of AT&T’s VIP push will include adopting new technologies, including smaller cellphone base stations. These “small cell” installations will also be accompanied by new macro cells and additional distributed antenna systems, something AT&T promises will increase speed and stability for wireless users.

AT&T throws $14bn at Project VIP to boost LTE and U-verse is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sure, you can already buy Virgin Mobile’s Broadband2Go on a monthly basis, but what about when you want that data on a daily basis? For instance, what if you’re Johnny Lee Miller in the hit ’90s film Hackers? Exactly. Good thing, then, that Virgin Mobile is now offering a 24-hour daily plan for its Broadband2Go service, charging just $5 per day. Unfortunately, if you’re only able to find 3G service, that broadband is limited to just 200MB of data — those who can find 4G get unlimited data access (and much faster access to boot). Currently, Virgin’s Broadband2Go is only offered via a proprietary ($70) USB stick or a proprietary ($120) mifi device, so don’t think you’re getting off too cheaply. It is, however, available right now.

Continue reading Mobile data gets even more piecemeal with 24-hour offerings from Virgin Mobile

Filed under: Mobile

Mobile data gets even more piecemeal with 24-hour offerings from Virgin Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 18:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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