The UK's biggest mobile network has claimed that its 4G customer base of 318,000 shows a "strong 4G take-up", as it disclosed its results for the first quarter to 31 March 2013.
The firm, established by a joint venture between France Telecom's Orange and Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile, said that its 4G customer base had reached 318,000 after five months of trading, and suggested that it was on target to reach its goal of one million 4G customers by the end of 2013.
However, that figure represents only 1.2 per cent of EE's 26.4 million users, suggesting that the firm's head start against its rivals in the UK has not proved overly successful.
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But EE has rejected claims that the figures are unimpressive, telling Computing that:
"Take up has been excellent and compares very favourably with other 4G launches around the world (10 per cent of postpaid base after 24 months). We are seeing strong demand and a base of 318,000 customers within the first five months is a very good return".
EE, which holds a 36 per cent share of UK mobile spectrum, had said that about 10 per cent of its corporate customers were trialling or using 4G including Microsoft, Morrisons and Gatwick Airport, and in its latest report it claimed that 1,600 medium and large firms were using 4G.
Revenue for the firm was up by 5.4 per cent to £1.4bn. EE pointed to people moving away from pay as you go contracts (prepaid customers decreased by 571,000) and a five per cent year on year increase in non-voice revenue, meaning that more than half of money spent by the average customer is for data and messaging, not phone calls.
The company had a 166,000 net increase in contract customers in the quarter, with only 1.2 per cent of customers moving away from EE.
