Mobile network operator rolls out outdoor small cells across City of London and advanced RAN coordination (ARC) and 5G to range of towns and cities
The mobile company EE has announced a range of measures to enhance connectivity for its customers in locations across the country.
Photo by Alexandru Vicol / Unsplash
Working with connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service provider Freshwave, EE had already installed some 35 outdoor small cells in the City of London to relieve pressure on the outdoor network and ensure better service for mobile users. A further 50 small cells sites are now live, with another 34 to come.
EE says it is already seeing an average 125TB of data downloaded each week across the small cells network, which has been specially designed to accommodate all mobile network operates on 4G and 5G. The expansion covers key landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral, the Old Bailey and Guildhall, as well as the Barbican and Fleet Street.
What’s more, EE is the first mobile operator in the world to deploy advanced RAN coordination (ARC) so that nearby mobile sites can pair remotely and share capacity, enabling up to 20% faster download speeds and smoother video streaming, with more reliable connections at peak times.
Edinburgh and Manchester already benefit from ARC. Over the next year, EE will expand ARC provision to nine further cities: Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Sheffield and Sunderland. Customers with the latest 5G standalone devices on iOS and Android are expected to see the biggest performance gains.
In addition, by December this year EE will have extended its 5G network to a further 17 towns and cities: Basildon, Bolton, Brighton & Hove, Colchester, Gloucester, Lincoln, Maidstone, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northampton, Oxford, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, and Telford. In doing so, it hopes make 5G standalone services available to some 41m people across the UK.
Malcolm Cubitt, Director of Mobile Product at EE, says: ‘As smartphones continue to evolve, so does EE. With world-first innovations like ARC and the expansion of 5G standalone, we’re unlocking smoother streaming, next-level gaming and better integration across devices. And because EE does more, our bespoke plans and services ensure customers get the very best from their smartphones, today and in the future.’
Tom Sleigh, Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, adds: ‘The Square Mile [in London] is a globally recognised centre for commerce, culture, and innovation, and world-class digital infrastructure is vital to maintaining that position and increasing the city’s appeal. As more people expect seamless connectivity wherever they go, enhancing coverage across the City of London is an essential step to becoming future-ready. We’re delighted to see this kind of collaborative deployment taking shape in the city and look forward to continuing to work with EE and Freshwave on delivering this transformation.’
Simon Frumkin, CEO at Freshwave, says: ‘We’re proud to be working in close partnership with the City of London Corporation and EE on expanding this pioneering multi-operator network across the Square Mile. This project is a great example of how innovative engineering can deliver real-world impact in even the most complex urban environments. We’re excited to keep building on this momentum to support the UK’s digital economy.’
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