EE, the UK’s largest mobile operator and part of BT Group, said that it has filled more than 12,000 square kilometres of mobile not-spots in the last 12 months – the equivalent of more than 1.5 million football pitches.
EE said it has upgraded more than 4,000 existing sites to provide 4G, and built 105 brand new sites, delivering mobile coverage to the most remote parts of the UK for the first time. The new sites, many of which are in areas that have previously had no coverage from any operator, have already carried more than 200 emergency 999 calls from people that may previously have been left without help.
The 100 new sites are spread across Scotland, north Wales and northern England, and EE is in the process of building a further 350 new sites to continue filling in mobile not-spots. EE is working towards an ambition to cover 95% of the UK geography with 4G by 2020.
Most of the new 4G and 2G coverage built by EE spans roads in remote locations that previously had zero mobile connectivity from any provider. The new sites are being built to provide coverage for EE’s customers and for the Emergency Services Network, which will enable emergency services workers to communicate using 4G across Great Britain.
4G sites have already been switched on in remote locations across Scotland, including Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands, CairnGorm Mountain, and the Isle of Skye, as well as West Dumfries and Galloway. This work has seen geographic 4G coverage in Scotland pass the 75% mark at the end of 2017, with EE going further than any other operator.
Just a month back, the Operator unveiled a new 4G home broadband solution designed especially for those in rural areas that are currently only able to access broadband slower than 10Mbps. EE says its 4G antenna solution could potentially help 580,000 homes gain access to high speed connectivity.
Marc Allera, CEO, EE
Our customers need a 4G connection wherever they go. We’ve added an enormous amount of coverage in the last year, upgrading existing sites and building completely new ones to keep our customers connected in more places than ever before.
