EE aims for 5G Coverage everywhere by 2028

According to reports, EE users will be able to get 5G “everywhere” in the UK by 2028, with half of the population covered by the technology in two years. By 2025, it will have added 4,500 square miles of new rural 4G coverage. According to BBC expert Matthew Howett, the cost might be an issue at the furthest reaches of the globe. The growth of 3G services will come to a stop in the next two years, with subscribers on EE, BT Mobile, and PlusNet being “phased out.”

The business claims that its 5G network will “expand to reach half of the UK population by early 2023, four years ahead of the UK Government’s target,” according to the corporation. EE 5G network reaches one year, with service now living in 80 UK cities and large towns, EE says it will cover the “entire UK” by 2028, however, although the permanent network will cover 90% of the UK landmass, the remaining will be served by “on-demand” alternatives, according to the firm. This might include “portable cells,” tiny devices that link to a low-earth-orbit satellite and deliver 5G connectivity over a short region. A scout leader leading a troop to a distant location, for example, may use one so everyone in the group can communicate via mobile phones, according to the spokesman. 

BT, which owns EE, previously signed a rural broadband agreement with One Web, a low-earth orbit satellite network that is partially owned by the UK taxpayer. Drones may also be used to offer “on-demand” coverage, according to EE. The goal, according to a business representative, is to make acquiring a connection as straightforward as calling a cab. But the cost to customers of this network expansion in rural and remote areas has not been announced. “Affordability could remain a challenge with higher monthly rentals and considerable upfront costs. Subsidies could help bring those costs down,” analyst Matthew Howett, founder of Assembly Research, told the BBC. But Mr Howett said the expansion would help EE to position itself ahead of rivals – such as Virgin Media and O2 – among customers who value connectivity, whether rural or not “The network’s relevance will only expand as more of the items we own and use become connected, and it isn’t just about the phone in our pockets.”