EE hammers home 4G advantage with taxi fleet
EE is to offer free 4G mobile internet services via a fleet of London taxis as it aims to bolster sign-ups ahead of rival operators launching similar services from June.
The UK’s largest operator has announced it will launch a fleet of 50 fully branded 4G-enabled black cabs – the 4GEE Taxis – in London and Birmingham, letting passengers trial 4G mobile internet services for free as of next week.
Each of the vehicles has been fitted with a 4G router that lets mobile users from any network trial the high-speed mobile internet services by texting the operator, which will send them an access code in return.
Trialists can access the 4G network for the duration of their journey, with the promotion set to run until June this year when rival operators, such as O2 and Vodafone, are expected to launch their 4G offerings having received their spectrum allocations earlier this year.
EE is rolling out the service in a bid to raise awareness of the benefits of 4G over existing mobile internet services, with input by multiple agencies including Kinetic, MEC, Saatchi & Saatchi and Verifone Media.
Spencer McHugh, EE brand director, says: “We hope this trial will demonstrate the benefits of a superior online experience as users can browse, download, catch up on emails, Tweet and check Facebook literally at the speed of light.
“We can’t make taxi journeys any faster but we can certainly speed up people’s smartphones.”
The move comes as Microsoft announced it is to sponsor free Wi-Fi services across a fleet of 225 London taxis to promote its online services among the city’s business community in a three-month campaign conducted with taxi advertising specialist Ubiquitous.
