Vodafone has launched its first 4G Ready Mobile Wi-Fi device, despite it not yet being able to offer a 4G network service.
The UK network provider will be launching its own 4G network by the end of the year, but that hasn’t stopped them launching its first 4G Ready Mi-Fi.
The Vodafone R212 is 4G Ready, but offers reliable 3G connections to up to 10 mobile Wi-Fi devices at once.
With an in-built powerful 2,800mAh battery, the Mi-Fi device also has an SD card slot supporting cards up to 32GB.
Available on a £39 year-long contact, customers will have to pay £10 per month for 1GB of data.
The device is 4G ready and so will be compatible with 4G LTE smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z, Nokia Lumia 925 or BlackBerry Z10.
Vodafone has yet to launch its own 4G network to rival EE, who is currently the only 4G provider in the UK. However, the company won the biggest portion of the 4G radio frequency in the Ofcom 4G auction, meaning it will unveil its own ultra-fast mobile broadband signal later this year.
“4G is a big deal. It’s the new generation of mobile network,” said Vodafone. “Vodafone 4G will give you ultra-fast speeds when you’re out and about, whether you’re browsing the internet, streaming videos or sending emails.”
The other 4G auction winners were Hutchinson 3G UK who won Three, Niche Spectrum Ventures (a BT Group subsidiary) and O2 Telefonica.
“We spent a cool £790m in Ofcom’s recent auction of radio frequency spectrum, and picked up a third of the crucial low frequency (800MHz), plus the higher-frequency spectrum to boost our existing network.”
All of the new 4G operators are expected to launch their own LTE tariffs by the end of August, with the whole of the UK population expected to receive 4G coverage by the end of 2017.
Next, read our Samsung Galaxy S4 tips and tricks.
