LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Playing catch up to market leaderEE, Vodafone has turned to sports and music to persuadeits British customers to upgrade to its superfast 4G servicewhen it launches in London later this month.
The mobile operator, the third largest after EE andTelefonica's O2 in Britain, is offering 150 hours ofPremier League soccer from Sky Sports or music fromSpotify Premium as well as unlimited data for three months tocustomers who switch.
Both Vodafone and O2 are launching 4G services on August 29,joining EE , which has had the superfastmobile broadband market to itself since October 2012.
"We are taking 4G into a new league by offering sport andchanging the tune with all the music you could want," GuyLaurence, chief executive of Vodafone UK, said on Wednesday.
Vodafone said 4G tariffs would start at 26 pounds ($40) amonth, and existing customers on its Red packages, that bundledata, texts and calls, can upgrade for an additional 5 pounds amonth.
It will launch 4G services in London, it said, and a further12 cities would be added by the end of the year.
Vodafone (VOD)