Earlier this year, EE became the first telecommunications operator to roll out a 5G network in the U.K. - beating Vodafone to the chase. Initially, the network provider only offered 5G in six British cities, with plans to cover more areas in the future. Today the British operator delivered the promise of expanding 5G coverage by switching on the network in a multitude of new locations.
According to EE, the telecom operator chose to expand its 5G coverage in especially busy areas around the U.K., such as transport hubs, busy streets, and bustling areas which are usually crowded. The intention behind this is to serve a higher concentration of its customers. For example, one of the new locations to get EE"s 5G network includes the Highbury and Islington train station situated in London, which is frequented by 29.5 million people every year.
Some popular tourist destinations now offering 5G network under the British operator include:
- Market Street on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile
- Cardiff’s St David’s shopping centre and Morgan Arcade
- London’s Piccadilly Circus, Clapham Common, and Hampton Court Palace gardens
- Albert Square, the home of Manchester’s Christmas markets
- Belfast’s Great Northern Mall and City Hall
- Birmingham’s historical Victoria Square, the Mailbox and Brindley Place
Meanwhile, the new list of train stations covered surmises of:
- London Waterloo Station
- Liverpool Street Station
- Charing Cross Station
- Highbury and Islington Station
- New Cross Gate Overground Station
- Shoreditch High Street Overground Station
And finally, EE is rolling out 5G coverage to several large towns:
- Around London - Kingston-upon-Thames, Grays, Romford, Chatham, and Gillingham.
- In the West Midlands - Solihull, Dudley, Sutton Coldfield, West Bromwich, and Lichfield.
- In Greater Manchester - Salford, Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Rochdale and Milnrow.
Additionally, the British mobile operator is switching on 5G in three more cities in the coming week - Bristol, Leicester, and Coventry - and seven more cities within this year; Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, and Nottingham.
Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s consumer division, commented on its subsidiary company EE"s latest move:
"Switching on 5G in more busy places will help to keep our customers connected to the things that matter to them the most. Our engineers are building new 5G sites every day, and increasing capacity on 4G sites – all part of our ambition to keep all of our customers connected 100% of the time."
Counting the number of places previously and currently covered by EE"s 5G network, the total number of locations adds up to 20 cities and major towns in the U.K. The British provider claims that this makes it the most widely available 5G network in the country.