Vodafone’s new premier connectivity plan is designed for a future in which Meta Glasses are as ubiquitous as phones: ‘If you believe in the potential of AI, then you also believe in the potential of Super Mobile’ | Tech Radar
Overview
News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Details
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
Vodafone’s new premier connectivity plan is designed for a future in which Meta Glasses are as ubiquitous as phones: ‘If you believe in the potential of AI, then you also believe in the potential of Super Mobile’
AI wearables are coming — make sure your mobile plan is ready
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Vodafone Three CEO Max Taylor (left) and the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 AI glasses (right) (Image credit: Vodafone Three / Future)
Vodafone has today announced Super Mobile, a “completely new category of mobile connectivity” that will meet the demands of generative AI products like the Meta Glasses.
Super Mobile will supposedly deliver up to 4x faster speeds than Vodafone’s standard plans, and guarantee minimum speeds of 15 Mbps at all times; if your connection ever drops below 15 Mbps, you’ll be able to walk away from your Super Mobile plan without paying an early termination fee.
“In a world of streaming on the go, and in a new world of generative AI that requires reliable low latency, Super Mobile is the plan that delivers superior performance,” Rob Winterschladen, Vodafone’s Consumer Director, explained at the plan’s announcement. “If you believe in the potential of AI, then you also believe in the potential of Super Mobile.”
‘Latency’ refers to the time delay between a user’s request and a system's response; the lower the latency, the faster the response. You need a consistent internet speed of between 25 and 50 Mbps to enjoy low-latency 4K streaming and responsive online gaming, but with the rollout of Super Mobile, Vodafone is anticipating a future in which our mobile devices demand significantly more bandwidth.
As Winterschladen explained to Tech Radar in an interview: “Depending on the use case, the need for low latency gets bigger and bigger. If you’re asking Chat GPT, ‘What’s the weather today?’, you don’t really need super low latency. Where it starts to become more important — and I think we’re in the embryonic phase of low-latency use cases evolving — is with video content creation, augmented reality products like the Meta Glasses; that kind of stuff. If you’re walking down the street with a pair of Meta Glasses, and you’ve got AI in real-time overlaying AR onto your view, that’s where low latency becomes more important.
Vodafone is testing an AI robotic mast, but the future belongs to adjustable internal antenna components
Meta’s super-sensing AI glasses edge one step closer to reality
"6G is going to make all of us into walking cameras" — Quote of the day by Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon
Samsung's Intelligent Eyewear smart glasses are set to release later this year (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
“So if you believe in the potential of generative AI,” Winterschladen continued, “and we do; we see it in the data travelling over our network — as those use cases get more complicated and more demanding of low latency, that’s where Super Mobile comes in. It’s 5G+, on a slice, with super low latency, and therefore generative AI will become more responsive.”
In other words: Vodafone is future-proofing its connectivity offering against bandwidth-hungry AI platforms and wearables. Smart glasses like the Ray-Ban Meta might not be as ubiquitous as smartphones right now, but that’s where things are headed: we know that Open AI, for instance, is developing a Chat GPT-powered wearable with former Apple designer Jony Ive, while Apple itself is reportedly designing a new form of AI-powered, camera-equipped Air Pods.
Depending on the use case, the need for low latency gets bigger and bigger. If you’re asking Chat GPT, ‘What’s the weather today?’, you don’t really need super low latency. Where it starts to become more important is with video content creation and augmented reality products like the Meta Glasses. Rob Winterschladen, Vodafone
Depending on the use case, the need for low latency gets bigger and bigger. If you’re asking Chat GPT, ‘What’s the weather today?’, you don’t really need super low latency. Where it starts to become more important is with video content creation and augmented reality products like the Meta Glasses.
But even if you’re not excited/frightened (delete as appropriate) by Vodafone’s bold vision of the future, its new Super Mobile plan does at least bring a more tangible benefit to the table: that fixed minimum internet speed of 15 Mbps. If your plan ever drops below that speed — even once — you’ll be able to walk away for free.
This guarantee isn’t quite ‘no questions asked’, but it’s close enough: “Customers have got to be on the 5G+ network,” Winterschladen clarified to Tech Radar. “And we’ve built the ability to do a speed test, so we’ll look at that speed test, and if [your Super Mobile plan] is not hitting the 15 Mbps minimum, then we’ll let the customer go. Now the question is, ‘Where else are you going to go to get better performance?’ But yes, if our speed tests show the customer is getting less than 15 Mbps, and they’re on 5G+, then we’ll let them go without penalty.”
Vodafone’s Super Mobile plan is available now for £3 per month more than its full-speed Xtra plans, £8 more than its SIM-only 100 Mbps plans, £4 more than its handset 100 Mbps plans, or as a rolling monthly add-on for £12.
Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow Tech Radar on Tik Tok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on Whats App too.
Axel is Tech Radar's Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site's Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and Four Four Two, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.
Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining Tech Radar in 2020, where he earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Map Quest refused to rename Lake Ontario to appease one person, but I still can't leave Google Maps and Apple Maps behind for this one reason
Skip the new Sonos hardware — these excellent older soundbars and headphones are now up to 20% off
AI is getting closer to being able to exploit OT, and that's very bad news for critical infrastructure
Hyundai beats Tesla in world's biggest EV battery study over 500,000 tests
Lockheed carries out missile launches directly from a drone boat - will the US Navy be next?
Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
Key Takeaways
- News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
- Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
- Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
- Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
- Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards
