Hot on the heels of O2, Vodafone has announced that it will be rolling out its 4G plans on 29 August, with London the only city to get access on launch day. If you live anywhere else, then don’t fret — you haven’t been forgotten as Vodafone is planning on rolling the service out to 12 cities before the end of the year.
Prices for 4G access are very similar to that of O2’s, with SIM-only plans starting at £26 a month, although Vodafone is hoping to sweeten the deals with freebies.
Customers who sign up to Vodafone 4G will get a choice of access to Spotify’s 20 million song collection or 150 hours of Premier League football and unlimited data for the first three months. This is certainly a lot more impressive than EE’s current plans, which all have rather small data caps.
You’ll be able to sign up to Vodafone Red 4G-ready price plans from 12 August, in-store, online and even over the phone.
Vodafone has stepped up its 4G advertising in recent weeks, so we expected that an announcement was imminent — and with O2 announcing its 4G launch date last week, it was only a matter of time.
Like O2, Vodafone’s Ultrafast 4G services won’t work with the iPhone 5 — with only EE’s 4G network being compatible. If you do have an iPhone and don’t mind trading it in for a new phone, then Vodafone is hoping to sweeten the deal by offering you 75% off your remaining contract so that you can upgrade.
Cities pegged to be receiving 4G services by year-end include Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. Vodafone also hopes to have 4G coverage to 98% of the UK population by 2015.
If you have an existing Vodafone Red contract and a 4G-ready device, then Vodafone has ensured that the process is simple for you, with customers being able to upgrade for just £5 extra a month — and still get those great freebies we mentioned earlier.
Of course 4G connectivity is not just aimed directly at mobile phone users, with Vodafone also offering plans for your tablet, dongle and Mobile Wi-Fi. These plans start at just £20 per month, and give you 4GB of data.
