- EE, the UK’s best mobile network, partners with Xplora to offer the X5 Play, a smartwatch designed to help keep families connected and get children active
- The device launch comes as research reveals majority of UK parents plan to support their kids becoming more active as restrictions ease and 2-in-3 say a connected smartwatch would make them feel more comfortable - allowing them to stay in touch as their children pursue new activities
- What’s more, 40% of parents state a reliable mobile network connection is the most important feature when choosing their child’s first connected device
EE today announced it has partnered with children’s smartwatch manufacturer, Xplora, to offer the X5 Play. The X5 Play is designed to motivate children to stay active and help parents stay connected to their children and is the perfect match for the UK’s number one network. The launch comes as a new survey reveals that nearly two thirds (59%) of UK parents feel their children have become less physically active since the start of the pandemic.
To help children become more active, the majority of UK parents said they plan to support their children with popular activities including family walks (59%), bike riding (50%) and football (30%). Meanwhile, more than two thirds (61%) of parents stated they would feel more comfortable with their children doing more activities if they had a connected smartwatch to keep in contact and 40% believe that having a reliable connection is the most important feature of such a device.
EE, the UK’s most reliable network has partnered with Xplora to offer the X5 Play smartwatch. The smartwatch works via a dedicated app on a parent’s smartphone that lets them manage who their child can communicate with, as well as letting them set location alerts. What’s more, as a smartwatch, unlike a smartphone, it is harder for them to lose.
On EE, parents who take out an X5 Play can be assured their children are connected to the UK’s best network, as named by RootMetrics’ independent network testing for the eighth year in a row. EE also took the top spot for network reliability, giving parents additional peace of mind with superfast connections and coverage they can rely on, in more places than any other operator.
The X5 Play also helps children to be more active and features a step counter which rewards them with Xplora coins for every 1,000 steps taken. These can be exchanged for gifts and gadgets via the Xplora website or contributed towards good causes. Then, when it’s time for children to focus, parents can put the watch into School Mode to minimise distractions.
Alistair Wilson, Director of Devices and Partnerships, EE, said: “Technology offers invaluable benefits for parents, and our research found that over a quarter believe it can help to support their children to be healthy and stay active. The launch of the X5 Play smartwatch on EE, with it’s own phone number, can give parents extra peace of mind with signal coverage in more places and a fast overall connection they can depend on, allowing them to stay in touch with their children as they find new activities they love.”
Paula Radcliffe, MBE and Xplora ambassador, said: “The Xplora X5 Play on EE uses technology to make activity fun and rewarding for kids, something I’m passionate about. The combination of connectivity and motivation to keep active is why I use Xplora smartwatches with my own kids. It’s great that together with EE, more parents can now benefit from this technology, along with a reliable connection, wherever family activities take you.”
Sten Kirkbak, Founder and CEO at Xplora Technologies, said: “We are excited to be teaming up with EE, to offer families our industry leading smartwatches and the UK’s best mobile connectivity. Our smartwatches not only help parents to keep in touch, but also incentivise children to take part in more physical activity – giving them access to great offers and initiatives they can take part in via our unique online platform.”
Pricing and availability
EE is offering the Xplora X5 Play via ee.co.uk, EE telesales and EE retail stores, and it is available for £12 per month with a 24 month watch plan. The EE Xplora X5 Play plans come with their own phone number and unlimited minutes, plus 4GB of data and Stay Connected capabilities – enabling children to contact their pre-set contacts and stay in touch wherever they are.
To support children starting out in the online world, EE has also created PhoneSmart, a free online programme which helps young people learn how to how to stay safe and be kind online. It’s available to everyone, not just EE customers, via EEPhoneSmart.co.uk.
Further details on the Xplora X5 Play on EE can be found at www.ee.co.uk/xplora
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
Opinion Matters survey of 1002 parents (aged 19+) with children of primary school age.
For more information, please contact:
ee@nelsonbostock.com
0207 792 7468
About EE
EE runs the UK's biggest and fastest mobile network, offering superfast connections in more places than any other operator. EE brought the first 4G network to the UK in October 2012 with it continuing to be the UK’s biggest 4G network and launched the UK’s first 5G network in May 2019.
EE has received extensive independent recognition, including being named the UK's best network every year since 2015 for all the following awards: The Mobile Choice Awards, The Mobile News Awards, The Mobile Industry Awards and by RootMetrics®.
As well as offering mobile services to consumers and small and medium businesses, EE also provides home and business broadband using both 4G and fixed line connections.
EE is committed to being number one for service in the industry. Its retail presence exceeds more than 600 shops across the UK. EE remains the only mobile provider to answer 100% of customer calls in the UK and Ireland and was recognised as the UK’s Best Large Contact Centre by the UK Customer Experience Awards 2018 and Welsh Contact Centre Awards 2019. EE was awarded The Sunday Times’ Best 100 Companies to Work for in 2018 and 2019, as well as being named Best Employer 2018 by the European Contact Centre & Customer Service awards.
EE is part of BT’s Consumer business unit which provides products and services to all of BT’s consumer customers in the UK.
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About Xplora:
Xplora was founded with the mission of giving children a safe onboarding to digital life and encouraging a better balance between screen time and physical activity. Xplora’s broad portfolio of connected products and services allows people to connect their loved ones, and children to experience how their everyday activities can make a positive change in the world. Xplora’s critically-acclaimed products are trusted by more than a quarter of million kids worldwide, while the Goplay Services are available for more than 10 million families via third parties. Recently, the company collaborated with Sony Interactive Entertainment España to get kids playing outdoors more via integration with the Goplay Services. Xplora has offices in Norway, UK, Germany, and Spain, and is spreading into new markets in the US and Europe. Xplora has several major innovations in the child smartwatch category, including the launch of the world’s first eSIM product for children in August 2020 and its patent-pending activity platform and logic converting steps to awards. The company was co-founded by Sten Kirkbak, a father of four, who has worked with technology for almost 20 years, and first came up with the idea when he lost his four-year-old son in a shopping mall and couldn’t find him for more than 30 minutes.
