EE introduces the UK's first 4G tablet: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE available starting today
Adding to its catalogue of flagship 4G slabs, EE's launched its first tablet for its relatively young network. You can read up our thoughts on how the stylus-friendly tablet handled in our review …
Context & Ripple Effects
EE’s 4G service began in 11 UK cities in October, following the company’s plan to combine the Orange and T-Mobile networks under the EE brand. The Galaxy Note 10.1 itself was introduced by Samsung in February; its availability through EE turns that hardware into a 4G-connected option on EE’s new network.
First-order effects
- EE adds the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE as its first tablet on the UK 4G network, giving buyers a large-screen device option alongside its existing 4G catalogue.
- Samsung gains a UK carrier route for the LTE version of a tablet it introduced earlier in 2012.
Second-order effects
- EE’s early 4G proposition shifts from being defined solely by coverage in 11 cities to being differentiated by the range of devices customers can buy for the network.
Third-order effects
- If UK 4G launches continue to be paired with tablets as well as phones, carrier competition will increasingly hinge on device portfolios and retail partnerships alongside network rollout.
The trend: UK 4G is moving from a network-launch story toward a device-ecosystem contest, with carriers using LTE hardware availability to make service plans more tangible.