EE offers 4G plan aimed at broadcasters

UK mobile operator EE has launched what it claims to be the world’s largest mobile data plan, offering a petabyte (a million gigabytes) of data to broadcasters and media firms to enable large-scale transfer of data over 4G.

The package is priced at £8m and been developed for business customers such as media, film, entertainment and CCTV security industries. A petabyte of data is the equivalent to 500 billion pages of standard printed text or 13 years of HD video streaming, according to EE.

The operator predicts businesses will consume 860 per cent more mobile data by 2016, generating demand for larger, more flexible data bundles that can meet future requirements It added that the “Super Bundles for business” have no expiry date and no contract period.

While broadcast companies predominantly use satellite links to upload video from the field, this comes at considerable cost and with limited service availability, said EE. Its Super Bundles, costing £8 per Gb for a petabyte of data, could save broadcasters as much as £12m when using that amount of data, the operator claimed.

In addition, broadcasters will no longer have to book data uplinks in advance and can instead use mobile wifi device for an instant superfast data connection over 4G. As well as the petabyte offering, EE is also offering Super Bundles in 50TB, 100TB, 200TB, 500TB units. Businesses can add new SIMs at any time and individual users can top up data whenever needed. They can be paid up front or payment can be phased over time.