EE Boosts 4G Capacity In Cardiff & Doubles Coverage Across Wales

EE is boosting the capacity of its 4G network in Cardiff and extending coverage across the majority of Wales as part of its expansion plans for the country.

The BT-owned operator plans to make is 4G services available to 95 percent of the UK landmass by the end of 2020, covering almost the entire British population. Its short term goal is 92 percent geographical coverage by December and at present the figure stands at 80 percent.

The figure for Wales, with its mountainous terrain and sparser population, stands at 40 percent. But EE says this will more than double to 90 percent by the end of 2017. Much of this will be achieved through the use of 800MHz long range spectrum.

It also plans to increase its geographic coverage in Scotland to 80 percent before the year is out.

EE Wales coverage

In Cardiff, the challenge is somewhat different with large numbers of users placing strain on EE’s infrastructure.

Ahead of the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus last Saturday, EE switched on its first ‘Supersite’ powered by BT’s 10 Gigabit Ethernet backhaul, to help with the temporary demands of the event and to provide better coverage for the Welsh capital going forward.

In another first, EE will offer customer service in Welsh, both in-store and via its Merthyr Tydfil call centre. The company will also make its outlets bilingual and will look to employ more Welsh speakers. It is claimed there are more than half a million native Welsh speakers in the country.

“We’re working to provide our customers with the best 4G coverage and customer service in Wales,” said EE CEO Marc Allera.

“That’s why we’re boosting our 4G network across the country, and we’re proud to be the first mobile operator to provide the option to speak to us in Welsh, whether requesting a call back from the outstanding team in Merthyr Tydfil or visiting us in many of our retail stores across Wales.”

EE has had a call centre in Merthyr Tydfil for more than 17 years and the operator recently committed to returning all of its customer services back to the UK.

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