New carrier EE is ready to be the first to bring 4G LTE to the UK. They are set to open 4G to customers on October 30. They already have select devices available for sale, but because 4G is not up and running yet, the devices will run at 3G speed on Orange or T-Mobile UK for the time being. Users will be able to switch to 4G EE plans when it goes live without monetary penalty.
EE has not confirmed price for the 4G plans as of this writing. They told Slashgear that they want these plans to have “mass market” appeal, so we expect them to be priced just slightly higher than current 3G offerings. Either way, this is a big step for the mobile market in the UK, where 4G has been sorely missed by many users.
There are a currently a few devices available for purchase. Slashgear is reporting that the HTC One XL, Samsung Galaxy S III, and Huawei Ascend P1 LTE are available today and that the Galaxy Note II LTE will be available for purchase very soon. EE has updated their website with information regarding where 4G will be available at launch.
Users who purchase a device now will not have to pay a termination fee when EE launches their 4G LTE network, but they will have to restart their contract when they make the switch. If you are one of those people who hate contracts, you may want to wait until EE officially launches so you only have to sign up once.
