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Tesco Mobile decides to offer 4G at same cost as 3G.
We’ve been waiting sometime for Three to get its act together and fulfil its promise of an affordable 4G network, but now the wait might be over. No, Three hasn’t come through, but Tesco Mobile has swooped in and stolen its thunder, by offering 4G to both new and existing customers at no extra cost.
Technically, Three offers this too, but unless you’re one of just a few thousand lucky customers in a handful of locations you can’t currently benefit from it, whereas Tesco is rolling it out to everyone and as it piggybacks off O2’s network its coverage is already greater than Three’s.
Previously Tesco Mobile customers had to pay £2.50 extra to get 4G, but that premium has been removed, allowing anyone with a Pay Monthly or SIM Only contract to enjoy 4G without breaking the bank, with SIM Only tariffs starting from just £7.50 per month for 250 minutes, 5000 texts and 500MB of data. That compares favourably to what the other networks are offering, with EE for example charging £16 per month for 500MB of data on a SIM Only plan.
Pay As You Go customers will soon be able to enjoy 4G too, as Tesco Mobile has promised to launch 4G data bundles in the coming weeks and it will be widening its range of 4G-ready handsets, with the likes of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and the Motorola Moto X, giving customers more choice at more price points.
Free 4G is a big play by Tesco, giving the network a major advantage over the competition. As it’s an MVNO and a relatively new network at that it’s unlikely to see it competing with the likes of EE, O2 and Vodafone, but it might at least pressure them to offer a similar service and it takes some of the sting out of the wait for Three to deliver on its promise.
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