MobileManDan
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
