EE teams up with Nokia to boost network coverage on 200 UK streets
EE has deployed 200 mobile radio cells across its UK network to boost capacity in high demand areas, allowing customers to benefit from download speeds up to 300Mbps.
Small cells help provide better coverage for customers at street level, where it’s often impractical to build larger sites, and 300Mbps can be quantified as downloading a movie in just over two minutes.
Located on a variety of existing street assets, including BT’s red telephone boxes, the units offer discreet boosters for coverage and are part of EE’s investment to maintain the UK’s best network.
Working in partnership with Nokia, EE uses advanced network analytics to identify areas where small cells will deliver a boost to network performance.
EE is also working with local authorities to make use of existing street assets to minimise their impact, including lamp posts, CCTV columns and BT phone boxes.
As well as Leeds, London and Manchester, EE and Nokia have also brought these new small cells online in parts of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham and Scarborough.
Hundreds more small cell deployments are planned in the next 18 months, as EE uses the technology to bring additional network capacity to more locations, including some summer hotspots.
David Salam, Director of Mobile Networks, EE: “Investment and innovation are the key to consistent network improvement and this partnership with Nokia, to deploy small cells to support our 4G – and in the future, 5G – network, is a new solution to maintain our network leadership in the UK.”