The race for 4G connectivity in the UK is somewhat of a one horse race given the overly regulated and complicated situation that is the spectrum available for 4G connectivity. One company that has started their 4G rollout, and have got quite a fair bit of coverage already in the major cities is EE, and their 4G network has just got even bigger.
EE today announced that their 4G Network has reached ten new towns across the UK, and with their subscriber account hitting almost 700,000 active 4G subscribers, is only set to increase this number.
From today, EE 4G is available in Altrincham, Bedford, Camberley, Crawley, Farnborough, Farnham, Maidstone, Rochdale, Tonbridge, and Welwyn Garden City. Even better, customers in Belfast, Newcastle, and Southampton can now enjoy double the speed goodness we’re all jealous of.
“Today’s results demonstrate our success in building our new brand and differentiating our network to drive commercial momentum while continuing to deliver cost savings to increase our margin performance,” said EE CEO Olaf Swantee. ”We’ve doubled the rate at which we’re adding 4G customers and doubled our 4G speeds across 15 cities to deliver the world’s fastest network for our customers – indoors, outdoors and on key commuter routes.”
EE 4G
The carrier has announced that their subscriber base sitting at a rather healthy 687,000, they’re expecting to hit 1 million by the end of the year – a huge headstart on the other carriers who are yet to even build their 4G infrastructure. EE currently covers 95 cities in the UK, which equates to 60% of the entire UK population. EE claims they will be bringing 4G connectivity to 98% of the UK by the end of the 2014 – and I believe it, the pace these guys are going at is incredible. The only problem is the insane data caps that are imposed and the high premium you have to pay to enjoy 4G. Without competition, the rates can be set to whatever they like. So until the other carriers begin their 4G rollout, you can expect that although EE have the coverage, it may not necessarily be affordable for everyone.