EE extends six-month Apple Music promo, exempts listening from data caps

Starting July 19, U.K. carrier EE will extend its offer of free six months of Apple Music to all its "pay monthly" and SIM-only customers, the company's CEO said on Thursday.

For those months, Apple Music traffic also won't count against the carrier's data caps, according to Marc Allera. Such "zero-rating" practices have proven controversial with net neutrality advocates in and out of government.

The temporary data exemption will be available to people already paying for Apple Music, but those customers won't be able to get the free subscription period.

Once the free months are over, Apple will charge listeners 9.99 pounds per month unless they cancel.

EE first launched its promotion in Sept. 2016, but only for new or renewing post-paid contracts. Apple Music subscriptions typically come with a three-month trial.

Other carriers have also been using Apple Music to retain or attract customers, such as Australia's Telstra and the German incarnation of T-Mobile.