As a technology PR consultancy, we were interested to learn this week that competition in the telecoms sector is set to intensify yet further as both Vodafone and its rival O2 look set to launch their 4G broadband networks in the same week.
O2 recently announced that it plans to launch its 4G network in London, Leeds and Bradford from 29 August. By the end of the year, the telecoms giant’s 4G network will be live in a further 13 cities throughout the UK. While The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday that Vodafone also intends to launch its 4G services in London on the very same day and intends to roll it out to the same 13 UK cities by the end of the year. The rollout to the same cities is the result of a mast-sharing deal between the two rivals.
In an attempt to gain favour with consumers, O2 has already announced that its customers can upgrade their phones at any point during their contract. Not to be outdone, Vodafone is allowing its customers to switch smartphones every 12 months and is also offering free live Premier League football goals on the move to encourage customers new and old to upgrade to its service.
With EE already ahead of the game having launched its 4G network a year ago, it’ll be interesting to watch as the battle between the telecom giants plays out. I predict that by early 2014, when 4G is available on a wider scale and consumers start to realise the benefit, we’ll be on the receiving end of some hard core advertising campaigns and hopefully some more attractive incentives. Let battle commence…
