EE really lucked out with their 4G launch didn't they?

Every time I walk by a standard operator shop that isn’t EE, I have to cringe. I can’t avoid it. That’s because, invariably, the shop window is currently advertising the Samsung Galaxy S4.

And unless you’re EE, you need to cover your promotions with the text, “4G ready”.

Seriously embarrassing for any mobile operator.

4G ready?

Oh, you mean you don’t have that… yet you’re selling a 4G-capable device? The device that everyone-and-their-dog is clamouring for?

Oh dear. Not good.

It’s like selling a terrestrial service selling an HD television and being forced to wax lyrical about the amazing quality pictures the TV can display… just, er, not from your services. Yet. For an unspecified time.

Someone asked me the other day about the difference between 4G and all the other 3G services and there’s no contest. Arguably Three UK’s 3.5999G+++++ is pretty good. But I’ve been able to download HD movies in about 10 minutes thanks to EE.

There’s an argument to say that the areas I’m using EE aren’t heavily congested — but given there’s almost a million EE customers on 4G, I’m not sure how much that perspective washes.

I can’t disagree with the EE advertisements that recommend you don’t limit your 4G-capable Samsung S4 by getting it from a standard network. I’ve been finding EE blazing fast in most situations. Indeed, on my iPad (with EE sim) I can even stream House of Cards from Netflix in high quality for about the first 20 minutes of my train journey (whilst I’m in a 4G area).

To the team at EE that managed to outmanoeuvre their competitors and get 4G live (and reliable) in such a short time, nice work. Very nice work.