Commenting on EE’s 4G shared data plans – which will allow customers to connect up to five separate devices to one plan – Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, says: “This new approach to sharing call plans is one of a number of interesting moves by EE. It shows that the provider, despite already having a monopoly on the 4G market, is far from standing still.
“However, the prospect of splitting data amongst multiple users could be a double-edged sword. Sharing minutes and texts may certainly help consumers to get their money’s worth. Our research suggests that 55% of people use less than half of their minutes and 61% only half of their texts each month.
“Also, the flexibility of a shared package does enable families, businesses or friends alike to all enjoy both the super-fast 4G speeds of the fledgling network, as well as the perks of being on EE.
“However, the real concern for consumers will be hitting their data limit even quicker – and being stuck with even bigger bills. None of EE’s plans currently come with unlimited data. With faster 4G than ever EE customers may swiftly reach their limits, and a 750MB allowance between a data-hungry household is unlikely to last long.
“There are larger data plans available. The summer promotion will see the cost of 20GB fall to £51, but it remains to be seen how many people will see the value in sharing a pricey plan – not to mention factoring in the cost of including additional users. £12 per month to add a phone to an EE package isn’t far from rival SIM only packages offering a wealth of texts and data, without fear of eating into a shared allowance.
“Of course, an option is to disable data on shared handsets, still giving the freedom for a family member to talk and text to their heart’s content, but without the benefit of browsing on the go at super-fast speeds. Going without data on a 4G plan is like ordering steak, but being a vegetarian.”
Katherine Moss
Phone: 020 3021 5893
Email: katherine.moss@uswitch.com
Twitter: @uswitchPR
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