EE, the UK's first 4G network, has unleashed a speedy new portable hotspot that can achieve incredibly high data transfer speeds -- though it won't be hitting those theoretical highs any time soon.
The Huawei E5776 works like other portable Wi-Fi devices, containing a SIM-card that creates a mobile hotspot that you can access from a laptop, smart phone or tablet.
The E5776 is a 'category 4' or CAT4 device, which means it can achieve theoretical speeds of 150Mbps.
That's a lot faster than CAT3 devices, which can muster theoretical speeds of up to 100Mbps, and include smart phones like the Samsung Galaxy S4.
EE's network -- while the fastest in the nation -- can't chuck data around that quickly, however. The all-caps operator recently boasted that it would be boosting its network to a headline speed of 80Mbps by June.
That means that for now, even those lesser CAT3 smart phones will handle potentially faster data than EE can deliver. Actual speeds will also vary based on your location and other factors, so EE says you'll get average speeds of 20Mbps once its network is upgraded.
EE will be upgrading its network in future, so buying Huawei's CAT4 device could offer you some future-proofing should EE's headline speed climb higher in months to come.
The E5776 can be yours from £13 per month, a tariff that nabs you 1GB of data. That's not a particularly high data allowance -- something EE has been criticised for before -- and if you want a meatier 5GB you'll find the price increasing to £21 per month.
Would you pay extra for 4G? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall, and see what tech-happy Brits have to say in the video below.
