EE has signed a deal to provide the Apple Music service for free to all pay monthly customers for six months.
The offer, which is exclusive to EE, will see new and existing users given free access to the music streaming platform on both iPhone and Android handsets.
While use of Apple Music won't be 'zero rated' (meaning it'll still take from users' data allowance) Noel Hamill, managing director of marketing at EE told TechRadar that the network believes streaming shouldn't suck down more than 100-150MB per hour of tunes.
Sadly, pay as you go customers won't be able to get the same offer, although Hamill said this was something that's being considered - although the 'technical capabilities' of such an offer needed to be looked into.
One more time
Hamill claimed that EE was able to sign the deal with Apple above other networks due to its heritage in innovation, citing moves to bring Wi-Fi and 4G calling to its handsets as factors in enticing the Cupertino-based brand into a deal.
However, the move from Apple shows it's set on trying to break the music streaming stranglehold Spotify has on the UK market, willing to offer more of the service for free in a bid to entice continued users.
This Apple Music extra follows the recent move from EE to offer free BT Sport to its users for six months, after the network was bought by the latter's parent company. Adding music streaming as an extra brings it into line with Vodafone, which offers Spotify and Sky Sports to subscribers, but only one of the services.
EE has signed Britney Spears to appear in the advert with the ever-present Kevin Bacon, and this advert is actually vaguely chuckle-worthy (apart from the gratuitous plug for Britney's new song), rather than some of the more excruciating celebrity spots in recent years:
The offer will go live on September 1, and users can sign up at EE.co.uk/applemusic
- The best EE deals guide
- Apple Music vs Spotify: which is for you?
