{"id":744602,"date":"2013-04-02T11:12:28","date_gmt":"2013-04-02T15:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=626456"},"modified":"2013-04-02T11:12:28","modified_gmt":"2013-04-02T15:12:28","slug":"ee-harnesses-london-cabs-to-tout-its-4g-prowess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/744602","title":{"rendered":"EE harnesses London cabs to tout its 4G prowess"},"content":{"rendered":"

Right now, Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom’s\u00a0EE<\/a> joint venture is the only 4G-toting carrier in the United Kingdom. That will change soon enough though, as the much-delayed 4G spectrum auction is now done and dusted<\/a>, so EE is doing all it can to capitalize on its early start.<\/p>

The operator’s latest marketing tactic involves one of London’s greatest icons: the Hackney carriage, or “black cab” as most people call it. EE has put a 4G MiFi router into 50 of the vehicles in London and Birmingham (40 in the former, 10 in the latter), and passengers will be able to use the service for free.<\/p>

Displaying a true marketing professional’s grasp of physics, EE brand chief Spencer McHugh claimed in a statement that users will be able to “browse, download, catch up on emails, Tweet and check Facebook literally at the speed of light”.<\/p>

EE’s three-month promotion is not the first to combine the black cab with wireless connectivity. Back in December, ad firm Eyetease said<\/a> it had gained approval from London’s transport authorities to put hotspots into the vehicles, with users needing to watch a 15-second ad in order to get 15 minutes of free surfing. The ISP Virgin Media also gains a great deal of exposure by providing Wi-Fi for commuters in certain London Underground stations.<\/p>
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