EE adds 21 new locations to its 5G network bringing its total up to 71


EE has added 21 new towns and cities in its 5G roll-out alongside busy areas like London Bridge and Bath’s Royal Crescent — bringing it total locations up to 71.

The company has also added new sites in more populated parts of existing 5G cities including Bath, Birkenhead, Motherwell and Rotherham.

EE says it has focused on adding more 5G masts to areas with higher footfall so that it can meet increasing demand for more data at those places but is also launching in new locations for the first time such as Chelmsford and South Shields.

According to independent tests by RootMetrics, EE’s 5G network is fastest and most widely available in London, Birmingham and Cardiff.

Scroll down for video

The company has added new sites in more populated parts of existing 5G cities including Bath, Birkenhead, Motherwell and Rotherham. They say it will allow people to make video calls and connect to the internet more quickly using a 5G device

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s consumer division, said: ‘We have 5G coverage in more places than any other operator.

‘We remain focused on connecting even more towns and cities in 2020 and beyond to keep our customers connected in the busiest places.’

BT owned EE launched with 5G coverage in 2019, starting with London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester.

‘All the major manufacturers, bar Apple, now offer 5G variants of their latest models,’ said Ernest Doku, mobiles expert at Uswitch.com.

‘EE will be hoping that this alongside its wide-ranging network will encourage more people to sign up to 5G tariffs. 

‘Many mobile phone users have been slow to embrace 5G, with fewer than one in seven wanting to upgrade to the new generation of connectivity with their next deal. 

‘However, with more devices and networks offering 5G in ever more locations, it would be unsurprising to see that number increase rapidly, especially with some of the unlimited data deals now available.’

The company says it will allow people to make video calls and connect to the internet more quickly if they have a 5G enabled device.

They have been expanding to new cities and locations on a daily basis, the company confirmed.

Today saw connections in Bath, Birkenhead, Clydebank, Motherwell and Rotherham expanded with more fifth generation masts.

They also switched on 5G sites in Bransholme, Bury, Chelmsford, Cheshunt, Clevedon, Dartford, Dinnington, Loughborough, Loughton, North Shields, Rochester, Rugeley, Swadlincote, South Shields, Staines and Waltham Cross for the first time.

As well as switching on the first 5G sites in new cities and large towns, EE has also brought 5G to more high footfall places, including Bath’s Royal Crescent and Pulteney Bridge, London Bridge and London’s Thornton Heath railway station.

Specific information about who is in reach of the 5G masts is one issue facing customers debating whether to upgrade, but many people are also stuck with archaic connectivity. 

A recent Ofcom report discovered more than 50,000 homes are stuck with mediocre broadband and 4G, let alone 5G.

It also found that 610,000 UK homes and businesses suffer without a ‘reasonable connection’, defined as a download speed of at least 10 Mbps. 

In contrast, 5G offers download speeds of upwards of 500mbps.

Many towns and cities now have some form of 5G connectivity available - through one of the major network service providers

Many towns and cities now have some form of 5G connectivity available – through one of the major network service providers 

5G is expected to be up to 1,000 times faster than the currently used network standard, 4G

5G is expected to be up to 1,000 times faster than the currently used network standard, 4G 

Rival telecom company O2 expanded its 5G network at the start of the year, rolling out to 13 new cities bringing their next generation network up to 20 places.

Vodafone says it now has 5G in 100 around the world, including five sites in the Republic of Ireland and 37 in the UK.

5G is expected to be up to 1,000 times faster than the currently used network standard, 4G.

According to Which?, time taken to download an HD film could be only 0.6 seconds on a 5G network, compared with 60 seconds on 4G.

However, according to a uSwitch survey, many phone users are reluctant to upgrade to 5G, with only 19 per cent believing it will improve connectivity. 

Three announced in February it was launching its 5G network in 65 locations across the UK – putting it second behind EE now it has expanded to 71 sites. 

WHAT IS 5G AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

The evolution of the G system started in 1980 with the invention of the mobile phone which allowed for analogue data to be transmitted via phone calls.   

Digital came into play in 1991 with 2G and SMS and MMS capabilities were launched. 

Since then, the capabilities and carrying capacity for the mobile network has increased massively. 

More data can be transferred from one point to another via the mobile network quicker than ever.

5G is expected to be 100 times faster than the currently used 4G. 

Whilst the jump from 3G to 4G was most beneficial for mobile browsing and working, the step to 5G will be so fast they become almost real-time. 

That means mobile operations will be just as fast as office-based internet connections.

Potential uses for 5g include: 

  • Simultaneous translation of several languages in a party conference call 
  • Self-driving cars can stream movies, music and navigation information from the cloud
  • A full length 8GB film can be downloaded in six seconds. 

5G is expected to be so quick and efficient it is possible it could start the end of wired connections.  

By the end of 2020, industry estimates claim 50 billion devices will be connected to 5G.

The evolution of from 1G to 5G. The predicted speed of 5G is more than 1Gbps - 1,000 times greater than the existing speed of 4G and could be implemented in laptops of the future 

The evolution of from 1G to 5G. The predicted speed of 5G is more than 1Gbps – 1,000 times greater than the existing speed of 4G and could be implemented in laptops of the future