EE Adds 15 More Towns To 4G Network

EE announced it has rolled out 4G service to 15 additional towns, bringing the total number of large towns and cities served by the fast network to 215, and  villages and small towns to 2,588.

The 4G network now covers 72 percent of the total UK population, EE said on Friday.

4G donkeys

4G service was switched on in Gateshead, Birkenhead, East Grinstead, Leighton Buzzard, Wallasey, South Shields, Wakefield, Coatbridge, Lisburn, Bangor (NI), Newtownards, Omagh, Port Talbot, Neat and Wirral, EE said.

To mark the occasion, the company offered “superfast” donkey rides in West Kirby on Saturday, with four donkeys – named Bolt, Zip, Lightning and Flash – turned into moving 4G Wi-Fi hotspots. The communications gear loaded into the donkeys’ saddles allowed riders to upload pictures and videos of the event, EE said.

“EE is bringing 4G to more regions across the UK than ever before and with summer just around the corner, we wanted to make the ‘best of British’ even better,” explained Pippa Dunn, EE’s chief marketing officer, in a statement. “It’s great for everyone to be able to stay connected all the time, even in more remote spots like on the beach.”

Double-speed 4G

The company said its double-speed 4G network, which offers a theoretical maximum speed of 300Mbps, is now available in 20 British towns and cities. Coverage is planned for 40 towns and cities by the end of 2014.

EE has also been rolling out 4G to motorways and train routes, with 47 major train stations, 22 airports and 50 percent of the UK’s most-frequented motorways now covered.

In May the company said it had 3.6 million 4G subscribers, up from 2 million in February, and that sales of 4G plans were exceeding those of 3G for the first time – placing it firmly on track to reach the target of six million users by the end of the year.

In February EE and Three agreed to build the next part of their respective basic 4G networks together, investing a combined £1 billion into the partnership.

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