British Carrier EE Confirms 4G LTE Roaming Agreement With AT&T

by Joe White

December 18, 2013

Britain's Everything Everywhere (EE) and the United States' AT&T have announced an interesting global 4G LTE roaming agreement, according to a recent press release.

The move means that Americans visiting Britain can access EE's 4G LTE cellular data network, which is the largest network of its kind in Britain. Though rival carriers Vodafone, O2, and 3 are in the process of launching (or are preparing to launch) their own respective 4G LTE services, EE beat rival carriers to the finish line last year and is set to cover more than 160 towns and cities by Christmas.

Now, however, EE is also the first British operator to launch 4G LTE roaming for subscribers on “partner networks” visiting the United Kingdom. The press release outlines the key details of the announcement:

EE is the first UK operator to launch inbound 4G roaming for travellers on international networks visiting the UK

First agreement with AT&T, with more to launch early next year

EE customers set to benefit from 4G speeds when travelling abroad by the first half of next year

Olaf Swantee, EE chief executive officer, said: “Technology is not just shaping how people book and research holidays; but what they look for when they are choosing a country to visit. From finding their way to local landmarks, to avoiding the Oxford street crowds by shopping on their tablet, tourists are increasingly looking for fast and reliable mobile experiences when they travel abroad.”

He added: “With the biggest and fastest 4G network in the UK, we can provide our partners’ customers with the best mobile experience to stay connected when they visit the U.K.”

Prices, however, haven't been confirmed by either EE or AT&T.

Over in Europe, the European Commission (EC) is looking to outright abolish roaming charges for members of the European Union by 2014, and the British government is pursuing a similar campaign that would see roaming charges abolished by 2016. Though no further information concerning these efforts has surfaced, recently British carrier 3 announced that its subscribers can enjoy zero roaming charges between 11 international territories including the United States, Australia, Italy, and Hong Kong.

As a reminder, you can keep up to date with the latest international news by checking our AppAdvice International column. It's published Tuesdays at 10 a.m. GMT.