EE 4G Will Cover 80 Percent Of Scotland In 2017 As It Connects Highland Ski Resort
EE’s latest 4G site is its second highest at 2,800 feet and it says it will go higher to connect 95 percent of the UK landmass
EE says it will cover four fifths of the geographical area of Scotland with 4G by the end of the year and has just upgraded its latest site to LTE – a ski resort located at 2,800 feet above sea level.
The Glencoe Mountain resort is the second highest 4G site in the UK, the highest is 3,000 feet on Cairnwell in Scotiland’s Cairngorm National Park, and EE believes the launch demonstrates the importance of 4G to communities across the UK.
It says visitors to the resort will be attracted by the ability to share experiences of their travels on social media, communicate with friends and family both on the mountain and at home, and improve the safety of anyone on the slopes.
EE 4G Scotland
“The added network coverage is … critical to support our efforts to make the mountain as safe as possible for everyone who visits this iconic part of Scotland,” agreed Andrew Meldrum, who owns the Glencoe Mountain Resort.
Glencoe receives 150,000 visitors each year and tourism chiefs are welcoming EE’s commitment to extend coverage to 80 percent of the Scottish landmass, which is characterised by tough terrain and comprises several archipelagos.
“With Scotland’s stunning landscape playing a huge role in inspiring potential visitors to our shores, the ability to connect online and share images of our beautiful countryside to the world is becoming increasingly important,” explained Malcolm Roughead, CEO of VisitSscotland.
“Being better connected allows us to reach even more people than ever before on social media, where already we enjoy engaging with our followers in new and innovative ways to both inspire and inform them about Scotland.”
EE’s 4G network should be available to 95 percent of the total UK landmass by the end of 2020 and has so far reached 75 percent. It is upgrading more sites and using long range 800MHz spectrum to achieve its mission and says the work will underpin its efforts with 5G.
However the expansion is partly related to the £1 billion Emergency Services Network (ESN) contract, which is set to be delivered in 2019 unless the project encounters delays. EE CEO Marc Allera said the network wanted to go even higher.
“We want to provide a 4G connection wherever people go,” he said. “We’ve got to 3,000 feet, and we’ll go higher and further to keep people connected. Helping our customers share great moments, and helping the Mountain Ski Centre teams keep those customers safe, is exactly what our network is all about.”
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