5G Standalone (5G SA) is the next step for 5G – right now, most of the UK uses 5G Non-Standalone (5G NSA), which means it still has some 4G components, while with 5G SA, the infrastructure is all designed for 5G, allowing for higher speeds and greater reliability. And while we’re still a long way off having comprehensive 5G SA coverage, EE is about to hit a major milestone on that front.
The network has revealed that by the end of August, its 5G SA service will be available to more than 34 million people, which amounts to over half of the UK population. Now, we’d expect geographic coverage will still be somewhat lower, as EE has focused on densely populated urban areas, but that’s still a big deal.
In recent weeks, EE put 5G standalone live in Carlisle, Chesterfield, Hemel Hempstead, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Gosport, Slough, Stoke-on-Trent, Sutton Coldfield, and York, among others.
But in the next month, 5G SA will also be switched on in the following 38 places: Aberdeen, Beverley, Blyth, Boston, Canterbury, Chippenham, Cleethorpes, Crawley, Derby, Exmouth, Great Malvern, Grimsby, Halifax, Harlow, Havant, Inverness, Ipswich, Leyland, Lichfield, Loughborough, Norwich, Paignton, Peterborough, Royal Leamington Spa, Salisbury, Shrewsbury, St Albans, St Neots, Sutton in Ashfield, Trowbridge, Wellingborough, Whitley Bay, Windsor, Winsford, Wishaw, Wokingham, Wrexham, and Yeovil.
These will join an extensive existing list of places with EE 5G Standalone, which includes: Ashton-Under-Lyne, Altrincham, Barrow-in-Furness, Barry, Bath, Belfast, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bradford, Bridgend, Bristol, Bury, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Corby, Coventry, Cwmbran, Doncaster, Dudley, Dundee, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Huddersfield, Hull, Hyde, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newport, Nottingham, Port Talbot, Rotherham, Sale, Sheffield, St Helens, Stockport, Sunderland, Swansea, Wakefield, Walkden, Weston Super Mare, Wigan, Wilmslow, and Wolverhampton.
Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT Group, said: “Whether you are video calling from a crowded train station, livestreaming on social media from a sold-out concert, or simply staying in touch with your family and friends over the summer holidays, 5G standalone on EE makes your experience smoother, faster and more secure.
“Delivering a high-quality mobile experience every day for millions of people is what matters to us, it’s what has driven us to build the UK’s most reliable network and why we’re now delivering 5G standalone to more people in more places across the UK.”
Limited support
So that’s all good news, though it’s worth noting that you’ll need a compatible device and SIM card – and not all phones that support 5G NSA will support 5G SA, though the list of compatible devices is fairly extensive.
Interestingly, Ofcom recently found that only 2% of 5G connections were on 5G SA networks, which seems odd given how extensive EE’s coverage is. But that’s probably partially because of device requirements and partially a sign that the rest of the UK’s networks might really have some catching up to do.
In any case, EE isn't stopping here, adding that it plans to bring 5G SA to more than 41 million people by spring of 2026, which amounts to around 60% of the UK population.
