UK mobile operator EE is committing GBP 1.5 billion to the new ‘Signalling the Future’ 3-year network investment plan in expanding LTE and improving rural coverage. The company’s Network Coverage Manifesto expects its 4G footprint to overtake 2G by 2017, when it will cover over 99 percent of the population. It also pledges to offer double-speed 4G (up to 60 Mbps downloads) to 90 percent of the population, with LTE-A (up to 150 Mbps) in 20 of the UK’s 20 big cities by 2017. There will mobile coverage on over 90 percent of UK roads by 2017, up from around 82 percent mobile coverage at present, and LTE expansion on major train lines.
EE will conduct a rural investment programme to enhance voice and data coverage to 90 percent of the UK territory and 99.6 percent call completion rate. The operator will deploy 800 MHz spectrum in its rural network to add over 1,500 sq miles of additional coverage. The investment will also include new technologies and innovations such as Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and Wi-Fi calling on all mobile OSs over EE’s 2 Mbps broadband service. EE is also a partner in the University of Surrey’s 5GIC project and the EU Horizon 2020 ‘Tweether’ project at Lancaster University.
