Could 4G be a real benefit for your business?
4G has finally arrived in the UK, with EE (Everything Everywhere) starting their services yesterday – but could they be right for your business?
As a general rule, faster connectivity is better, so it would appear initially that the answer is yes. However, this technology is very much in its infancy and is unproven in the real world.
EE’s 4G price plans are more expensive than their standard tariffs, and only a limited number of high end smartphones currently support 4G on their network frequencies. Data limits are also incredibly low on their basic packages, starting at just 500Mb.
The service has only launched in 11 major cities, with another 5 to come onboard by the end of the year, so outside of these areas you will not be receiving 4G.
In any case, 4G speeds are being “controlled”, so you could get either 38Mbps or 76Mbps depending upon your chosen plan. However these speeds will be far lower than 4G will ultimately deliver.
The future of 4G – worth waiting for?
In the fullness of time other network operators will roll out their own 4G services, and with this competition prices will fall. Plus there will be a greater choice of compatible handsets too.
Hopefully the networks will also have a “speed war” to push the capabilities of 4G speed higher, and will increase data limits to a more sensible level given the amount of data you can download at these faster speeds.
Why tie yourself to a 24 month contract now with an untested system at a premium price? In 6-9 months it could look like a very silly decision.
Our advice is to wait and see how the market develops and how good the 4G service on offer actually is.
In a year or two we may all wonder how we ever did without 4G, but for now the jury is out and it may prove best for your business to keep a watching brief, at least until it becomes clear which way the other networks are heading with their 4G services.