4G Arrives at 200th UK Town


4G network provider EE has announced that it is now providing 4G coverage to 200 towns and cities in the UK, with Rhyl in North Wales being the most recent town to be switched on. EE reports that this brings its coverage of the UK population up to 72%.

4GEE in 200 Towns

Between providing 4G internet at airports and train stations, and launching its first own-brand smartphone, you might be forgiven for thinking that EE wouldn’t have time to roll out its superfast network in any new locations, but apparently hundreds of 4GEE sites are still being switched on every month.

EE is very strict about classing a town or city as having 4G, and only names a location as an official 4GEE town when it has at least 80% coverage. While Rhyl was celebrated as the milestone 200th town to receive 4G at the end of April, there were several other locations switched on in the preceding days. These were Armadale, Bishop Auckland, Brighouse, Cumbernauld, Hamilton Kirkintilloch, Larne, Newry, Peterlee, Staines, Stockton-on-Tees, Rhyl and Washington.

According to Olaf Swantee, CEO of EE, “Today we switch on our 200th 4G town just 18 months after pioneering the service in the UK. We now have over 2 million customers using superfast 4G. That’s the fastest rollout and uptake of any technology in Britain, and means that the UK’s mobile digital infrastructure is now ahead of many other nations. We’re proud to have been the driving force that made that happen, but we won’t stop there.

Our continued drive to deliver 4G to more of the UK means that our customers have access to by far the biggest network in the country. Hitting this landmark highlights that 4G from EE is available wherever people need it – at home, at work, or enjoying the sunshine on the beach in Rhyl, our 200th town.”

In addition to rolling out its 4G network in 200 locations, EE is also providing a double speed 4G service to many of the UK’s major towns and cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast, Leeds, Glasgow, and of course London.

Other 4G networks are also increasing their coverage in the UK:

  • O2: At the beginning of April, O2 announced that its 4G network covered one third of the UK population indoors, and 41% of the population outdoors, and claimed to provide 4G in 191 towns and cities.
  • Three: As vague as ever, Three states that it is on target to provide 4G to parts of 50 cities, and many more towns by the end of 2014, and that it will provide 4G to 98% of the UK population by the end of 2015.
  • Vodafone: There is a detailed list on the Vodafone website of locations where it is already providing 4G coverage, and those where it is the process of rolling it out. There are at least 80 towns and cities that already have 4G from Vodafone, and a similar number where it is currently being introduced.