EE has achieved a new milestone by deploying over 1,000 small cells in high-traffic areas across the UK to enhance network coverage.
The operator has added 400 small cells in the past year, including its first 5G units in addition to a trial in Croydon, Greater London. This trial features seven 5G small cells, four of which are situated along London Road and handle over 3 terabytes of traffic daily.
Over the past year, EE has broadened its 4G small cell network to include towns and cities like Cardiff, Dundee, Luton, Norwich, and Stoke-on-Trent, while also boosting capacity in popular summer destinations such as Torbay and Cumbria.
Related: EE Elevates Rural Connectivity
EE employs advanced network analytics to pinpoint locations where small cells can significantly enhance performance. The company then collaborates with Nokia and Ericsson to implement these solutions, alleviating congestion and providing customers with speeds of up to 300 Mbps for 4G and 600 Mbps for 5G.
EE stands out in Europe as it integrates licensed 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz spectrum with unlicensed 5 GHz spectrum in its 4G small cells, optimizing capacity and speed. The new 5G cells in Croydon utilize licensed 1800 MHz spectrum for 4G and 3.5 GHz for 5G.
Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer, BT Group, EE’s parent company, said, “Small cells are an integral component within our mobile network, ensuring that even in the busiest places, our customers have access to the full performance of the UK’s best network. To reach 1,000 deployments, including our first 5G sites, demonstrates our commitment to delivering unrivalled mobile connectivity to all four corners of the UK.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon, stated, “This is great news for Croydon; we’re delighted to be the first town in the UK to be trialing 5G small cells with EE, bringing the latest mobile connectivity to our borough. These 5G small cells will improve the network capacity in high-usage areas, giving faster download speeds for our residents, businesses and visitors.”
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