EE has bumped up the data in your 4G deals -- but only for 4G dongles, not 4G phones.
Each mobile broadband deal has had its data allowance increased by around 60 per cent, with no change in the monthly price, but the controversial phone plans remain unchanged.
The starting 2GB allowance for your mobile broadband has been bumped up to 3GB, the existing 3GB plan has increased to 5GB, and the current 5GB allowance goes up to 8GB.
Prices stay the same, so the cheapest deal is still £16 for 3GB with the LTE dongle costing £50. 5GB costs £21 plus £30 for the dongle, and 8GB costs £26 per month with a free dongle. All deals last 18 months. The dongle in question is a Huawei E392 MBB stick.
When I first saw the news from EE, I momentarily thought it was the phone deals that had been adjusted, but alas it was not to be. Many readers feel that the data allowances for 4G phones are too skinny for the amount of data that you can burn through when you're blessed with 4G speed, although EE has previously defended the allowances with a fun rail-based analogy.
The cheapest phone deal, a pricey £36 per month, nets you a meagre 500MB per month. And the most expensive tariff bags you 8GB of data for the month, which isn't so hot for a service that's all about data. The problem is that if you go over your data limit you have to pay extra -- £3 for 50MB or £6 for 500MB -- to keep browsing and streaming at 4G speeds.
Update: I asked EE if there were any plans to adjust phone deals in light of customer feedback, but EE says its intention is to keep things as simple as possible by offering the same data allowances on both dongles and phones, albeit for different prices. EE is pleased with the "outstanding response" it's seen to 4G.
Are the new data allowances much more reasonable? How much data do you need for your phone or dongle? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
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Daniel Rhodes-Mumby 28 November, 2012 16:31
I've never quite understood the seemingly arbitrary and artificial distinction between dongles and phone data plans, but then I suppose that's because I approach it from the point of view of a geek rather than as a network executive.
That said, the dongle plans are far more reasonable and actually seem like a good deal given the generally exorbitant cost of mobile data. It's simply a shame that their phone plans continue to be so crap; I guess I'll be sticking with my current network.