Vodafone will launch its very own 4G network on August 29th – the same date that O2 has already set for its own launch of 4G LTE services.
The service is known as Vodafone Red 4G and has been fully revealed today, including prices, tariffs and other details. The red network will begin taking pre-orders for SIMs, contracts and devices from August 12th, and that’s in store, online and by telephone, ready for the switch to be flicked on August 29th.
4G contracts start from £26, as O2 4G contracts will also do, but Vodafone is hoping to sweeten the deal by offering different freebies. For example, access to Spotify Premium can be bundled with a new Red 4G contract, or if you’re in to sports, a subscription to Sky Sports Mobile TV for live sport streaming on the go.
Just as EE did, Vodafone will launch its 4G network initially in London, on August 29th. Shortly after the coverage will roll out to other cities including Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Vodafone Red is already a type of contract offered by the network, and to make upgrading easier, customers on the Red tariff with a 4G capable phone – such as the Galaxy S4 or HTC One – can upgrade to 4G for an extra £5 per month. This nets the customer either Spotify or Sky Sports Mobile TV and double mobile data per month, without actually having to upgrade.
Devices
Phones, tablets and mobile broadband dongles will all be available on Vodafone Red 4G. 24 month contracts start from £34 per month and 12 month contracts from £52 a month, with a host of different tariffs aimed to suit the callers, texters and mobile internet users.
Speedy tablets will also be available, including the excellent Sony Xperia Tablet Z, the 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 and others. Prices vary from £31 per month with 4GB of 4G data for the Samsung to £37 with 4GB of data for the Sony, with the option to pay a little more to get 10GB of data.
Finally, 4G dongles start from £20 per month for 4GB of data and run to £30 for 10GB on 12 month plans. SIM-only deals can also be taken from £26 per month, if you happen to have a 4G enabled SIM-free device already. Unfortunately the iPhone 5 is not compatible with Vodafone’s Red 4G network.