Vodafone bucks 4G launch trend

Vodafone plans to switch on its UK 4G network on the same day as rival O2, but is taking a different approach to how it sells the technology.
 
Rather than pitch the technology of LTE, Vodafone is selling its network on content and services. It has lined up content from Spotify and Sky Sports, which it plans to make available on August 12, nearly three weeks before it turns on its 4G network on August 29.
 
The approach differs from rivals EE and O2, where the former has focused on the size and speed of its network in advertising, and the latter on how quickly it will grow its coverage when it launches on the same day as Vodafone.
 
Emeka Obiodu, principal telco strategy analyst at Ovum, says Vodafone’s focus on content and tariff options is “remarkable,” noting the operator could easily have talked up the strength of its 800-MHz spectrum.
 
“[W]e sense that Vodafone wants to avoid the 3G lesson where it worked so hard to create the best 3G network, yet lost out as rivals, especially O2, delivered a better appealing proposition to customers,” Obiodu adds.
 

Vodafone is offering three 4G plans, all of which offer twice the data allowance of its 3G tariffs – the highest is 8-GB -, and unlimited calls and texts. The cheapest option is a SIM only deal at £26 (€30) per month, with the cheapest contract priced at £34 per month for two years.