At this rate, it probably won’t be long before you can get EE 5G almost anywhere in the UK, as the network is expanding its 5G coverage rapidly, and has announced that 5G is now available in over 1,000 UK cities, towns and villages.
Much of the recent work seems to have been focused on rural areas, which is great news, as they can sometimes be neglected. In fact, almost 500 of the over 1,000 places with EE 5G are what the network describes as smaller communities.
These include places like Church Stretton and Birkenshaw in England, Llandeilo and Pen-y-banc (Carmarthenshire) in Wales, and Tayport and Ratho in Scotland, which all recently got EE 5G switched on.
On top of that, EE has also started bringing 5G to the UK’s National Parks and other rural tourist destinations. This includes The Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast, and The Broads, along with Berwick-upon-Tweed and Windermere in England, Brecon (Aberhonddu), Dolgellau (Gwynedd) and Narberth (Pembrokeshire) in Wales, and Fort William in Scotland.
EE claims that its 5G network also now reaches almost every major UK town and city as well as over 60% of the population. But then, EE has committed to offering a 5G solution everywhere in the UK by 2028, so this rapid expansion is necessary.
New and old technologies
The network isn’t abandoning 4G though, with that on track to pass 90% of the UK’s geographic landmass by the mid-2020s.
EE through its BT Group parent company is also testing all sorts of new technologies to aid with improving network coverage and efficiency.
These include a low Earth orbit satellite to transmit 4G data, a ‘High Altitude Platform’ (HAPS) system to deliver mobile coverage from the air to hard to reach areas, and a self-powering mast that uses sustainable energy.
These technologies could help increase EE’s reach – including eventually with 5G, while making the network cheaper and greener to run.
