UK regulator Ofcom has revealed the winners of its 4G spectrum auction after more than 50 rounds of bidding: EE, Hutchison 3G (Three), BT subsidiary Niche Spectrum Ventures, Telefonica (O2) and Vodafone. It wasn’t all good news however, as the agency revealed the auction only roped in £2.4 billion pounds, less than the £3.5 billion it had anticipated. Left on the outside looking in? MLL Telecom and HKT Company. Interestingly enough it was Vodafone — headed by CEO Vittorio Colao who famously suggested only “technofreaks” were into 4G speed — that spent the most.
The idea is to spread high speed wireless across “almost the whole” UK population by 2017 at the latest, and the auction’s intent was to create more competition in the space. Telefonica UK specifically is required to provide indoor reception to at least 98 percent of the population by then, as a condition of its bid. As seen above, the available 250MHz of spectrum was auctioned off in two separate bands, 800MHz (ideal for expanded coverage and freed up by the digital TV transition) and 2.6GHz more suited to high speed data connections. So what’s next? You guessed it — another round of bidding, to determine where in each band the winners spectrum lies, before services roll out in spring or summer of this year. Hit the source link to check out the full results for yourself and prepare for the 5G battle, expected to commence sometime after 2018.
When EE activated its LTE network part-way through its fourth-quarter, there was an assumption speed-hungry Brits would storm the company’s numerous stores to get at that super-fast mobile data. The reality, however, seems to indicate that it takes more than a Kevin Bacon commercial to send the homeland into a frenzy. The company’s financial results show that the network only added 201,000 customers between October and December 31st — 49,000 fewer than in Q3 and 112,000 fewer than signed up in the same period in 2011. EE also isn’t breaking out figures for how many of its existing customers made the change — so for now we’ll have to assume that the UK isn’t as sweet on the guy from Footloose as Olaf Swanee had hoped.
The UK’s first 4G network continues to expand coverage, this time extending its catchment to more than 65 towns and cities in total. New LTE locales include the likes of Oxford, Stevenage, Guildford and… Blackpool (check the full list of towns after the break) with EE announcing that it currently covers 45 percent of the UK population — setting up in big cities will do that. This new roll-out should bring it up to 55 percent later this year, although around the same time it’ll finally see some healthy competition for 4G customers from Three.
If you didn’t get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought a resolution to HTC’s kerfuffle with the custom ROM community, along with a handful of special edition Samsung smartphones and new efforts toward spectrum sharing with the US government. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of January 28th, 2013.
Liked what you saw? Even happier then, as a Brit, you’ll likely be getting your hands on it months before your US cousins. UK networks have started to announce availability for the handset, with EE, O2, Three and Vodafone already confirmed to be stocking the Z10. Retailers that will also be selling the new BB10 hardware in the British Isles include Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U.
Retailer Phones 4U will launch both color options (exclusively, at least initially) although it hasn’t ventured a contract-free price just yet. The Carphone Warehouse, meanwhile will be offering the Z10 free on contracts of £36 per month on the major networks.
Vodafone will offer the Z10 for £29 on the £42 a month Red Data plan, including unlimited calls and texts as well as 2GB of internet. It’ll be free on the £47 a month variant of the plan, or cost £69 one-off payment on the £37 per month plan. Three UK hasn’t revealed any details beyond that it’ll be stocking the handset.
While all Z10 devices sold will be ready for 4G, according the Waterloo crew, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available to utilize EE’s existing 4G service immediately. The price? It’ll be £50 on a £41 per-month 24 month package, with 1GB of mobile data, as well as unlimited UK calls and texts. No word just yet on whether Orange and T-Mobile will be offering cheaper bundles later. We’ll update here when we hear more pricing details from the other players.
Today’s the day that your cost-free tweeting about red signals comes to end, as Virgin Media begins charging for its WiFi service on the London Underground. If you’re a Virgin, Vodafone or EE customer, then you just need to sign up to continue getting access as part of your mobile plan. For everyone else, avoiding getting your fingers sticky on that day’s issue of Metro will cost you £2 a day, £5 per seven-day week or £15 a month. If you take up the latter option at any point in February, you’ll be given an additional sweetener: three months for the price of one. The company has also announced that Hampstead, Tooting Broadway and Great Portland Street are among 11 more stations that are due to come online this week.
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Virgin Media WiFi on London Underground – update more stations coming online
As you’re probably aware, free WiFi on London Underground is coming to an end this month. But, from 29th January, millions of Virgin Media, Vodafone, EE, T-Mobile and Orange customers can stay connected at no extra cost thanks to wholesale agreements announced in November.
All Tube passengers will continue to have free access to Virgin Media’s comprehensive WiFi portal, with up-to-the-minute Transport for London (TfL) travel updates and great London entertainment and news, alongside a choice of Virgin Media WiFi Passes to keep everyone connected:
And, throughout February, passengers taking up the monthly WiFi pass will enjoy three months access for the price of one!
Another 11 stations are coming online this week, including Hampstead, Tooting Broadway and Great Portland Street, joining the 92 London Underground stations already WiFi enabled. We continue to work with TfL to install more stations throughout London, with around 120 stations due to be connected by the end of March 2013.
Virgin Media’s WiFi service on London Underground was launched ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games and made available to all Tube passengers for free throughout 2012. Virgin Media confirmed plans to wholesale the service in June 2012 and announced EE and Vodafone as wholesale partners in November 2012.
Flagship smartphones may get us talking, but it’s mass market devices like the HTC One SV that get huge sales, and that’s just what UK 4G trailblazer EE needs to help push LTE to the mainstream. HTC’s mid-range Android ticks some high-end boxes, with its 4G support and slick design, but there are compromises in the mixture too, in order to hit a more affordable price point. Is the One SV the LTE Android for the everyman? Read on for our full review.
Hardware and Design
For a mid-range handset, HTC has done a decent job with the One SV’s physical design. The back cover – removable, unlike many recent HTC phones – has the same soft-touch finish as we know from the 8X and One S, despite being plastic, while the scratch-proof Corning Gorilla Glass 2 up-front has smoothly curved edges which help the slightly angular sides nestle nicely into the palm of your hand.
Front and center is the One SV’s 4.3-inch display, using an LCD2 panel as per many other models in HTC’s range. It’s a bright panel, with decent viewing angles, but its resolution puts it at a disadvantage: at WVGA 800 x 480, it’s behind the qHD models in the same sort of price bracket, and leagues behind the 720p and 1080p displays other phones use (including HTC’s own DROID DNA, which has an excellent Full HD screen). The result is graininess from the clearly visible pixels, most noticeable when in the browser or viewing photos or video.
There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top, alongside the power/standby button, while a microUSB port is on the bottom edge and a volume rocker on the right. We were slightly surprised by how slippery the One SV could be; placed face down, it quickly found a route off the edge of our sofa and onto the floor, though happily resisted the bump. On the plus side, it’s easily dropped into a pocket, and at 128 x 66.9 x 9.2 mm and 122g isn’t unduly bulky. The matte white back cover did pick up dirt and smudges easily, however, while the broad, ridged earpiece spanning most of the top bezel was an instant fluff magnet.
As for what’s inside the casing, the One SV runs Android on a 1.2GHz Qualcomm S4 dual core processor, with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage. There’s triband UMTS/HSPA (up to 42Mbps down and 5.76Mbps up, network permitting) and quad band GSM/EDGE along with the LTE, together with WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 (with aptX support), and NFC. A digital compass, GPS, GLONASS, accelerometer, proximity sensor, and light sensor round out the key features.
On the back, a nugget of metal surrounds the 5-megapixel camera and LED flash. As per previous phones, HTC uses a backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor for improved low-light performance, along with an F2.0 aperture, 28mm lens. The front camera runs at 1.6-megapixels, and shoots 720p HD video compared to the 1080p Full HD supported on the back. HTC slots in its dedicated ImageChip for pre-JPEG-conversion processing and swifter back-to-back photography.
While One X+ and 8X owners have to make do with what storage HTC gives them (or what they can muster from the cloud), those picking up a One SV can slot in a microSD card instead. Up to 64GB cards are supported; the removable cover also means you can switch out the 1,800 mAh battery, handy given that LTE can be a power-hog.
Software and Performance
If the display resolution is HTC’s first real goof with the One SV, the version of Android the smartphone runs is definitely the second. Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich is loaded, complete with HTC Sense 4.1, an inexplicable decision given Jelly Bean has been around since mid-2012. It’s Android as we know and, generally speaking, love, though you miss out on Project Butter’s interface-smoothing magic, and that’s a real shame on a handset already running mid-tier hardware.
Sense remains a mixed bag, certainly distinctive but feeling more than a little over-designed, certainly when compared to the crisp, near-minimalist simplicity of pure Android. First-time smartphone owners should find it reasonably user-friendly, however, and HTC preloads a number of applications, including Dropbox (which prompts you to set up an account and auto-sync your photos and videos with the cloud), Evernote, a video editing app, 7digital for music downloads, a flashlight, and others, most of which are familiar from a long line of HTC devices.
Familiarity is good, but we’re not convinced custom manufacturer skins and Android still make sense (excuse the pun), at least for users. HTC’s interface may help it differentiate from other Android OEMs, but it also introduces delays in owners receiving core OS updates. Given the One SV is a step or two behind on that front already, it means Sense is hardly welcome.
The other differentiator is Beats Audio, though the One SV doesn’t get the power-amps of more expensive HTC devices. Instead, it’s more of a custom equalizer, ramping up the sound – particularly the bass frequencies – in a way that suits dance, RnB, and other genres, but conversely mangles classical and jazz. Thankfully it can be turned off in HTC’s reskinned settings page.
The 1.2GHz dualcore S4 processor may not be the fastest chip around any more, but it’s capable enough for everyday use. We ran Quadrant, the Android benchmarking tool, and the One SV scored 4446, putting it just short of the HTC One X (which has a 1.5GHz quadcore).
Camera
Even for the midrange, 5-megapixels is beginning to look conservative, though we’re the first to admit that a good sensor performs beyond the sheer number of pixels it collects. Unfortunately, despite HTC’s choice of BSI chip and lens pairing, the One SV’s camera performance is middle-of-the-road.
It’s not that the camera isn’t fast; it loads quickly (though we’d still like a dedicated camera key on the side, as HTC’s Windows Phones get) and captures frames right when you tap the on-screen control. Simultaneous photo and video capture is supported, with both buttons shown at once, and if you keep your finger pressed on the shutter release, the One SV will keep snapping at 4fps until you’ve taken 60 shots.
No, what lets the One SV down is the fact that the resulting photos and video simply aren’t that great. The stark scenes of snowy London certainly weren’t the easiest of things to capture, but the HTC’s camera struggled unduly with contrast and exposure, shedding detail by the handful as it tried to balance the brighter and darker elements of the frame. Meanwhile, points of brighter color – the red “STOP” sign, for instance – lost their vitality as the One SV opted for a more muted reproduction.
Close-ups proved a little more impressive, with the One SV able to lock onto nearby subjects with accuracy, but again color temperature proved troublesome. Holding the camera still, we watched as the preview flipped between warm and cool settings, making capturing a decent frame a matter of perfect timing in hitting the button.
As for video, there’s some judder in the frame and the same exposure issues as affected stills show themselves in footage, too. Clips can be grainy, and colors flat and muted.
Phone and Battery
The One SV’s sizeable earpiece makes for loud calls, and our callers had no issues hearing us or being heard. Calls are only made over 2G/3G networks, not EE’s 4G LTE network (as per the UK model we were reviewing; in the US, the One SV is a Cricket exclusive), and you lose 4G connectivity for data while on a voice call.
LTE performance unsurprisingly varies depending on where you live; EE’s fledgling network has huge ambitions, but so far is limited to denser-populated patches of major cities. With only one bar showing out in London’s Zone 2, we saw high speeds of around 13Mbps down and up to 17Mbps up, though EE is certainly capable of faster. Still, it’s worth remembering that 4G isn’t the magic bullet for mobile data today, and in fact HSPA+ networks can still outshine it in some locations.
The mid-range specifications translate to only moderate draw on the battery, as long as you don’t make too much use of the LTE connection. HTC rates the One SV as good for up to 8hrs talk time or 12 days of standby, though it’s worth noting that those are 3G figures.
In practice, with push email turned on, automatic photo uploads, some media streaming and local playback, a little web browsing, GPS in Google Maps, and Facebook/Twitter checking, we got a day out of the One SV. Turn on the mobile hotspot, however, which allows you to share the HTC’s 3G/4G connection with WiFi-tethered devices like your laptop, and you’ll see the phone exhausted far quicker.
Pricing and Value
SIM-free, the HTC One SV will set you back £350 in the UK; Cricket will sell it to you, off contract, for $349, and then offer you month-to-month service on a rolling agreement. EE, meanwhile, will give you the One SV free upfront, if you’re willing to spend at least £36 per month over a two-year agreement. That only includes 500MB of data, mind; figure on spending £41 or £46 per month if you want 1GB or 3GB respectively.
Overall, then, it’s a cheap phone with expensive service, at least in the UK. Factor in that EE will sell you a Samsung Galaxy S III on the same monthly contract, albeit with a £49.99 one-time payment for the device, and the One SV starts to look out of place.
Wrap-up
You can certainly see HTC’s strategy: make a neatly styled, midrange device that balances battery life with the usefulness of 4G, and help push LTE connectivity out of the premium tier. Unfortunately, some of the company’s decisions – or, perhaps, the corners cut in order to meet the target price – take their toll on the One SV proposition overall.
We could live with the last-gen processor, and even the WVGA display only really proved glaringly disappointing when viewing media, but the lackluster camera is a serious blip. HTC first debuted its ImageChip technology with research suggesting mobile photography was one of the key factors buyers weighed in picking a new phone; unfortunately, that’s where the One SV falls most short.
Couple that – in the UK at least – with some expensive tariff pricing from EE that puts an altogether more appealing handset within easy reach, and the HTC One SV loses more of its shine. It’s not a bad device, but it demands too many compromises from cutting-edge users tempted by 4G, and can’t compete on price with more affordable HSPA+ phones on other networks.
Want to take advantage of blazing-fast LTE speeds in the UK? You better be prepared to drop a few dozen quid, each and every month. The nation’s only LTE provider is clearly taking advantage of that exclusivity with gigantic tariffs, like £31 (about $50) per month for 3 gigs of SIM-only data (and “unlimited minutes and texts”). If you speed a lot of time pulling down content on your mobile, though, a new 20GB plan makes the carrier’s pricing structure a bit easier to swallow. Customers who sign up for the new 12-month “super-user” plan between now and February 28th will pay £46 (about $73), while a smaller-cap 8GB offering will be available for £41 (about $65) each month. Keep in mind that these are SIM-only tariffs — you’ll pay much more if bundling in a smartphone subsidy. Still, if you have a need for mega bandwidth for home use or on the go, the price per gig of this new plan makes EE seem a bit more reasonable. You’ll find a few more details in the PR after the break.
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EE ANNOUNCES NEW SUPERFAST 4GEE PRICE PLAN OFFERS
· £31 per month superfast 4GEE promotional price plan to launch on the 31st January
· New 20GB ‘super-user’ 4GEE plan also introduced from £46 per month on SIM only for a limited period
22 January. London. EE, the UK’s most advanced digital communications company, today announced a range of new 4GEE promotional price plans. The new packages are designed to provide consumers with an even greater choice of 4G options to suit their needs.
As a special promotion from 31 January until 31 March, a range of entry-level 4GEE plans is being introduced. For only £31 per month on a 24 month plan, customers receive unlimited UK calls and texts, and 500MB of mobile data, as well as the option to choose from a range of 4G smartphones for a one off fee such as the HTC One SV LTE or Nokia Lumia 820 which are available from just £29.99 (a saving of £90 on existing EE deals). Customers on 24 month plans can also take their unlimited calls and texts abroad with them to select destinations for just £5 more per month1 while those looking for flexibility can get a 12 month plan for only £41 per month.
Additionally, after listening to customers, EE will be launching a new plan offering 20GB of mobile data. The plan addresses a small number of ‘super-users’ (currently fewer than 1% of 4G customers), who have shown a desire to use more than the 8G of mobile data that is currently available on EE’s largest 4GEE plan. The 20GB plan, which is rolling out across retail channels from today, will be available on a 12 month SIM-only plan at a special rate of £46 per month for the full length of the plan if they sign-up between now and the 28 February2. The bundle comes with unlimited UK calls and texts and is also available with the very latest 4G handsets for £61 per month on a 24 month plan to customers who sign-up by 28 February3 . EE is also introducing a new SIM-Only 12 month 8GB plan for £41 per month.
Pippa Dunn, Chief Marketing Officer at EE, said: “It’s our aim to offer consumers the most comprehensive range of 4GEE price plans. With these new options we’re looking to not only make 4G smartphones even more accessible, but offer even greater value for the small number of super-users out there – ensuring EE really does offer a package that’s tailored for all customers 4G needs.”
EE’s superfast 4G offers a revolutionary mobile internet experience, delivering speeds typically five times faster than 3G4. The power of 4G enables tablet users to push the limits of their devices even further, allowing them to download, stream and browse the content they want, even quicker than before. In addition to superfast speeds, EE customers will also benefit from:
· EE Film – the UK film service that combines 2 for 1 cinema ticketing, listings, trailers, film downloads and streaming in one place
· EE Wi-Fi – access to millions of wireless hotspots across the UK, at no extra cost
· Discounted superfast EE fibre broadband – so they can enjoy blistering speeds at home and on the move
EE’s 4G service will be available in 35 towns and cities by the end of March 2013, bringing superfast speeds to even more consumers and businesses across the UK.
Full details on the new promotional plans, including terms and conditions, will be available shortly in EE shops as well as on www.ee.co.uk
UK mobiles retailer Phones 4u will launch a new network, LIFE Mobile, in March 2013, using EE‘s network as its backbone, though subscribers will miss out on 4G support initially. The deal, EE’s 25th MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) agreement, will at first offer only 2G/3G support to subscribers, presumably since the 4G carrier wants to keep its LTE goodness as an exclusive feature itself.
That will change later in the year, however, with EE saying that it “will make 4G available for LIFE Mobile customers later in 2013.” Until then, subscribers will get the run of EE’s combined Orange and T-Mobile UK airwaves, which were coupled together back when the Everything Everywhere partnership was settled.
Details on the LIFE Mobile service itself have not been revealed, with Phones 4u saying that it will have more news – including pricing – closer to launch. However, the MVNO is described as “great value” and to “include data packages as standard.”
Thanks to the combined network, LIFE Mobile will be able to boast 98-percent 3G coverage of the UK population when it launches. Meanwhile, Phones 4u will continue to sell service from the existing UK network players – including EE – alongside its own LIFE Mobile options.
Independent handset retailer Phones4U is set to join the cellular bullfight after it announced it was launching its very own mobile network. It’ll go toe-to-toe with the Carphone Warehouse’s virtual network, TalkTalk, as well as competing for your hearts and wallets with the big four operators. LIFE Mobile will piggyback on Everything EverywhereEE’s backbone, but users will initially be limited to 3G plans only, with 4G services coming later in the year. If you’re worried that every trip to the company’s stores will see LIFE handsets foisted upon you at every turn, company boss Tim Whiting has said that staff will be rewarded for “customer satisfaction” rather than sales. We suggest you try and game the system by telling the manager you’ll only be truly satisfied after a nice cup of tea and a foot rub.
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Phones 4u selects EE as UK MVNO partner for the launch of ‘LIFE Mobile’
· EE signs Phones 4u as its 25th UK MVNO
· MVNO set to launch in March 2013, offering customers access to the UK’s largest and fastest 2G and 3G network
· Phones 4u to offer 4G on LIFE Mobile later in 2013
22nd January 2013, United Kingdom: EE, The UK’s most advanced communications company, has announced that Phones 4u, one of the UK’s leading independent mobile retailers, will launch an MVNO on its network in March. LIFE Mobile will offer a wide range of great value tariffs and services that include data packages as standard, reflecting the changing nature of customer usage. The strategic partnership takes EE’s portfolio of MVNO partnerships to 25, and demonstrates EE’s commitment to expanding opportunities for new MVNOs across the UK.
EE offers the UK’s only 4G network, and the widest 3G and 2G coverage in the UK. EE will make 4G available for LIFE Mobile customers later in 2013.
The MVNO agreement is an extension of EE and Phones 4u’s longstanding and successful partnership. EE has been selected based on the strength of its network, its strong industry reputation, and its flexible and technologically advanced MVNO platform, which will allow Phones 4u to launch its service in the UK within months.
Launching in March, the new MVNO will have broad appeal and will offer a variety of tariffs and services that allow customers to choose the right deal for their mobile life.
Marc Overton, Vice President of Wholesale and M2M at EE said: “We’re delighted that EE has been selected as Phones 4u’s MVNO partner, giving us the opportunity to further build on our longstanding and successful relationship. As the largest MVNO operator in the UK, we believe in providing our customers with a choice of deals to meet their needs, and our partners are a key part of our growth strategy.”
“By choosing the EE network, Phones 4u will guarantee its customers access to the UK’s widest 3G coverage, as well as the UK’s only 4G network later in 2013. Our ambition is to provide 4G to key industry players by the end of 2013, and we feel this will open up a world of opportunities for both new and existing partners alike.”
Tim Whiting, Group Chief Executive at Phones 4u, said: “We are delighted to be able to extend our longstanding partnership with EE in order to add LIFE Mobile into the wide range of products and services available at Phones 4u. Our customers see their mobile devices as an integral part of their daily lives. LIFE Mobile will enable us flexibility and creativity in designing propositions to give our customers even further choice. We will sell LIFE Mobile alongside our existing network propositions and are confident the new network will play a key role in driving further growth for our business.”
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