EE is to upgrade 4G coverage in more than 370 rural locations across the South East by June 2024 – including 5 locations here on the Island – as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme agreed last year.
The Shared Rural Network, which is an agreement between the UK’s 4 mobile network operators and the UK Government, is aiming to extend 4G coverage to 95% of the UK’s geography by 2025.
The upgrades announced are part of the first phase of the SRN programme, where EE will invest to significantly reduce ‘partial not-spots’ in mobile coverage.
EE has already upgraded its 4G network in 123 rural locations across the South East since the SRN deal was signed in March 2020. EE has now pledged to extend 4G in a further 249 locations in the region, bringing the total to 372 in this phase of the programme.
All sites have been made available for other operators to share under the SRN scheme, which will benefit Islanders on the 4 main network providers including BT Mobile.
Philip Jansen, Chief Executive of BT Group, said:
“We’ve made a renewed commitment to boost rural connectivity, helping improve mobile performance regardless of location. The investment BT has made in rural areas means we have the infrastructure in place to extend our 4G coverage footprint even further, minimising the number of new sites we need to build to ensure everyone has access to reliable connectivity.
“EE is still the only provider of 4G coverage in many places across the UK, and we encourage other operators to recognise the opportunity sharing our sites offers to fill gaps in their networks.”
Article continues below this advertisement
