VODAFONE BRINGS 4G TO BIRMINGHAM, COVENTRY, LEICESTER, NOTTINGHAM AND SHEFFIELD

• Arrival of ultrafast 4G on 28 September will boost local economies and give residents a choice: sport or music?
• Ultrafast 4G coming to Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester by the end of October as Vodafone pushes towards 98% population coverage by 2015

Vodafone UK is launching ultrafast 4G in Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield, bringing a choice of fantastic sports or music entertainment to local people and boosting local businesses with faster speeds, bigger data allowances and the ability to share that data at no extra cost. Following these five cities, Vodafone will launch 4G services in Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester by the end of October.

Vodafone ultrafast 4G brings music and sports lovers a choice of either access to Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV. That’s more than 20 million tracks from the world’s best known streaming music provider; or the best in live action football from across the Premier League and Championship, tennis, cricket, golf and rugby. All that on top of unlimited data for the first three months, then double Vodafone’s standard data allowances, plus unlimited calls and texts.

Ultrafast 4G services will also help businesses to raise their game by enabling employees to work where they want to, when they want to. Almost nine out of ten business leaders (86%) believe 4G will increase their productivity by providing a genuine ‘in-office’ experience wherever they are, according to recent research by Vodafone.* In total, the arrival of competitive 4G services could boost the combined economies of the five cities by as much as £230m a year, according to further independent research.**

Customers signing up for Vodafone’s 4G plans before the end of October will also get Vodafone’s 4GBonus: an extra 4 GB of data per month for the length of their contract. All customers on Vodafone Red 4G-ready and Vodafone Red Business 4G-ready will get a 4G service in Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield from 28 September.

Guy Laurence, Chief Executive, Vodafone UK said: “We’re giving people in Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield a reason to get excited about ultrafast 4G: we’re bringing these cities closer to the action with Sky Sports and letting local residents stream 20 million tracks with Spotify. We’re also giving busy businesses in these cities a boost by helping them take their office with them when they’re out and about. Residents in Liverpool, Glasgow and Manchester can also look forward to Vodafone ultrafast 4G launching in their city by the end of next month. So, the question for people now is: which do you want – music or sport?”

The roll-out of ultrafast 4G services in these five cities is part of the more than £900m the company is spending on its network across the country this year. That comes on top of the £802m that Vodafone spent acquiring the widest portfolio of mobile spectrum in this year’s auction of new capacity by Ofcom. That portfolio includes the crucial low-frequency spectrum that means Vodafone’s ultrafast 4G signal will travel further into buildings.

Following Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield, Vodafone will launch 4G services in Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester by the end of October.

By the end of the year, Vodafone Ultrafast 4G, with speeds typically six times faster than 3G, will also be switched on in Bradford, Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle.*** Vodafone is targeting indoor 4G coverage across 98% of the UK population by 2015.

Notes to editors

*Vodafone research showing that 86% of businesses believe that 4G will increase their productivity was conducted with 554 organiational leaders across UK PLC and is available at: http://www.yourbetterbusiness.co.uk/perspective_4g_in_the_workplace.

**Estimates of economic benefit based on independent research by Capital Economics which found that 4G, when deployed to the population, could increase GDP by 0.5% across the UK. Research was based upon investment “made by the mobile telephone network operators” and deployment “by the mobile network operators”. The Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield figure is based on applying this to the Gross Value Added per head (GVA+ taxes – subsidies = GDP) of their populations.

***Vodafone Ultrafast 4G services with speeds typically 6 times faster than Vodafone 3G, based on pre-launch network, may vary due to coverage and demand.

Vodafone ultrafast 4G is already available in:
London

Vodafone ultrafast 4G will be available from 28 September in:
Birmingham
Coventry
Leicester
Nottingham Sheffield

Vodafone ultrafast 4G will be available by the end of October in:
Glasgow
Liverpool
Manchester

Vodafone ultrafast 4G will be available by the end of the year in:
Bradford
Edinburgh
Leeds
Newcastle

Customers can check Vodafone’s current and planned coverage at:
http://www.vodafone.co.uk/our-network-and-coverage/uk-coverage-map/index.htm

Vodafone Red 4G-ready for consumers (with 4GBonus)
12 month SIM only plans:

† Customers opting for the SIM only Red 4G-ready plan with 6GB, starting at £26 a month, can choose to have either Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV included for the first six months. They are then charged at £4.99 per month for Sky Sports Mobile TV or £9.99 a month for Spotify Premium. Customers can cancel at any time and will still get double the standard data allowance and 4G service.
†† Customers on the SIM only Red 4G-ready L plan with 8GB (starting at £31) and the SIM only Red 4G-ready XL plan with 12GB (starting at £36) get Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV included for the whole 12 months of their contract. At the end of the year, they are then charged at £4.99 per month for Sky Sports Mobile TV or £9.99 a month for Spotify Premium. Customers can cancel at any time and will still get double the standard data allowance and 4G service.

24 month contracts (with 4G handset):

† Customers opting for the Red 4G-ready plan with 6GB, starting at £34 a month, can choose to have either Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV included for the first six months. They are then charged at £4.99 per month for Sky Sports Mobile TV or £9.99 a month for Spotify Premium. Customers can cancel at any time and will still get double the standard data allowance and 4G service.
†† Customers on the Red 4G-ready L plan with 8GB and the Red 4G-ready XL plan with 12GB get Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV included for the whole two years of their contract. At the end of the two years, they are then charged at £4.99 per month for Sky Sports Mobile TV or £9.99 a month for Spotify Premium. Customers can cancel at any time and will still get double the standard data allowance and 4G service.

12 month contracts (with 4G handset):

† Customers opting for the Red 4G-ready plan, starting at £52 a month, can choose to have either Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV included for the first six months. They are then charged at £4.99 per month for Sky Sports Mobile TV or £9.99 a month for Spotify Premium. Customers can cancel at any time and will still get double the standard data allowance and 4G service.
†† Customers on the Red 4G-ready L plan (£57) and the Red 4G-ready XL plan (£62) get Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV included for the whole 12 months of their contract. At the end of the year, they are then charged at £4.99 per month for Sky Sports Mobile TV or £9.99 a month for Spotify Premium. Customers can cancel at any time and will still get double the standard data allowance and 4G service.

Spotify Premium and Sky Sports Mobile TV – which provides access to Sky Sports 1 and 2 – are available on selected iOS and Android smartphones. For more information, please visit vodafone.co.uk/4g.

Access to either Sky Sports Mobile TV or Spotify Premium is included in a customer’s plan, streaming live sports or streaming music will use a customer’s data allowance.

Vodafone Red Business 4G-ready for businesses (with 4GBonus)
12 month SIM only plans (ex-VAT):

24 month contracts, with 4G handset
(prices quoted include optional One Net Express at £10 extra per month):

Optional One Net Express

With Vodafone One Net Express, there’s no need for a separate fixed landline for voice communications. Customers can keep their current landline number or add a virtual one to their mobile phone for £10 per month. Incoming calls are routed to the mobile with no divert charges. Users with two or more mobile phones can enjoy call handling features such as auto attendant and multi-user hunt groups.