EE has reached this milestone one year ahead of its target, and five years ahead of the government’s ambition
EE has announced its 5G network has reached 50 per cent of the UK population, being the first and only mobile operator to do so since launching its 5G network in May 2019.
The network’s 5G technology is now live in areas across the UK with an expected high number of visitors ahead of the summer holidays.
Digital infrastructure minister Julia Lopez said: “I am delighted to see EE has made good progress rolling out 5G to half of the country. The technology, which can be up to 20 times faster than 4G, will help us in our aims to level up our economy and unleash the potential of communities across the UK.
“We are working alongside industry to boost rural coverage through a £1 billion deal with mobile phone operators and are developing a new strategy to boost further investment in 5G and help operators rapidly expand their networks.”
BT group CEO consumer division Marc Allera said: “EE was the first network to launch 5G in the UK and now we’re the first mobile network operator to take the technology to 50% of the UK population.
“Our ambitions for 5G don’t stop here. We’ll continue to invest in our network to provide our customers with unrivalled connectivity.”
EE has pledged to offer 5G anywhere in the UK by 2028 through its macro network and ‘on demand’ connectivity solutions.