Vodafone launches 4G network with sports and music offering in bid to secure customers

Vodafone will join O2 and EE offer extra-fast 4G mobile networks, Three has yet to announce when it will launch

Vodafone launches 4G network from £26/month SIM only

Vodafone will be the latest mobile network to offer a 4G service, with its Red 4G tariffs launching in London on August 29th and expanding to twelve different cities before the end of the year.

Prices will start at £26 a month for SIM only 12-month contracts. All plans will offer unlimited texts and minutes though data caps will vary. Existing Red customers will be able to upgrade to 4G for an extra £5 a month.

On a twelve month contract 2GB of data a month will cost £26, 4GB will cost £31 and 8GB will set you back £36. Costs are significantly higher once a handset comes under the contract – raising to £52, £57, and £62 respectively.

The launch follows the news of O2’s entry into the 4G market last month, which begins with the cities of London, Leeds and Bradford, and is also scheduled to roll out from August 29th.

Vodafone has reportedly invested £900 million in their network, and following the launch in London will expand to the following cities before the end of the year: Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.

4G services have so far had a slow start so far in the UK, and Vodafone are hoping to differentiate their service by offering bundled content from Spotify and Sky Sports.

Users signing up for the new 4G service will be able to choose between access to Sky Sports Mobile TV and Spotify premium, the latter offering more than 20 million songs streamed to users’ mobiles and the former providing live coverage of more than 100 matches from the Premier League, Champions League, and others.