EE to double speed of 4G in ten UK cities

Mobile operator EE is to double the speed of its 4G network in ten of the UK’s largest cities, giving the UK one of the fastest mobile internet services in the world.

Super-fast 4G will be rolled out in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield this summer – with EE set to double its spectrum bandwidth to 20MHz – in a bid to bring the UK mobile market up to speed with its global competitors.

The news comes not long after Ofcom announced that 3G, O2, Nice Spectrum Ventures and Vodafone UK would also be joining EE in offering 4G, which until recently, was the only operator in the 4G market.

The current 4G speeds already allow for video calls with clear pictures and no sound delays, as well as three-dimensional map images across the cityscape, however the increased 4G speed will mean that subscribers will be able to upload and download pictures with greater resolution; will be able to stream video in HD while uploading a presentation or speaking on a video conference call in real time; and will be able to manage files via mobile that once required a fibre connection – particularly useful for content-heavy businesses.

Olaf Swantee, CEO of EE said that since the 4G launch there has been a huge shift in the way that people use mobile, with a particular rise in the use of maps, mobile commerce and cloud services.

“Mobile users in the UK have a huge appetite for data-rich applications,” he added. “[EE] is ensuring that the UK remains at the forefront of the digital revolution.”

Mark Newman, Chief Research Officer for Informa Telecoms & Media said: “By rapidly expanding both the coverage and capacity of its network, EE has taken the necessary steps to maintain and extend its advantage in the UK 4G market and, importantly, to leapfrog itself into a leading position in the European LTE market.

“EE’s strategy to focus on network investment as a point of differentiation is helping to build a world-class, high-quality digital infrastructure that will prove as vital to future economic growth as investment in the roads and railways.”

The other mobile operators that now own licences to run 4G will be rolling out the network this coming spring.