That’s basically all of Devon and all of Norfolk plus some change.
This has all happened in the last 12 months, so they’ve hit 1,000 square kilometres of growth for each month as they head towards their 95% UK 4G geographic coverage target by 2020.
Despite my ham-fisted attempts at trying to visualise the additional coverage, that extra signal isn’t just in Norfolk and Devon. The new sites are spread across Scotland, north Wales and northern England. Some of the more remote sites of the UK are getting coverage for the first time. There’s 105 brand new sites and the network has worked to upgrade some 4,000 existing sites to provide 4G.
EE also tell us that most of the new 4G and 2G coverage covers roads in remote locations that previously had zero mobile connectivity from any provider.
EE won the contract for the Emergency Services Network, so they have an extra impetus to ensure coverage for this rather important customer plus their existing mobile subscribers.
Further details can be found below.
EE FILLS 12,000 SQUARE KILOMETRES OF MOBILE
NOT-SPOTS IN 12 MONTHS
· EE making strides towards its ambition to cover 95% of the UK with superfast 4G by 2020
· 105 new sites have been built in the last six months to cover mobile not-spots
· New coverage will deliver connectivity for EE customers and the Emergency Services Network
19 March 2018, London – EE, the UK’s largest mobile operator and part of BT Group, 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 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.
Marc Allera, CEO at EE, said:
“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. Mobile coverage is critical to consumers and businesses and can provide a lifeline for those in need of support from the emergency services – that’s why we keep focusing on filling in more mobile not-spots across 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.
EE was recently named as the number one overall network in Scotland, Wales and England, also coming top across speed and data awards in RootMetrics’ latest independent RootScore reports for the strongest mobile experience. The report, which compares how mobile operators tested in network performance across the breadth of the UK, highlighted the continued success of EE’s investment in building the best network for customers right across the UK.
EE also provides the most extensive geographic 4G coverage in both Wales and Scotland, as seen in Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report.
