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It’s easy to imagine networks have largely given up on improving their 4G coverage and services now that 5G is available, but that’s simply not the case, as evidenced by this latest news from EE.
The network has announced that it has deployed 611 small cells across the UK, to improve 4G capacity. The network first announced that it was deploying 200 over a year ago, so it has now tripled the number.
These 411 additional small cells have been installed in places like Birmingham, Sheffield, Brighton, Swansea, Leicester, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Southampton, and York, as well as seasonal hotspots such as Newquay, Paignton, Salcombe, Southend-on-Sea, and Clacton-on-Sea.
Small but mighty
Small cells are – as the name suggests – small, meaning that they can be installed on the likes of phone boxes, lamp posts, and CCTV columns, rather than needing large, bespoke infrastructure such as masts. This makes them ideal for dense urban environments, where there’s no room for larger infrastructure.
But just because they’re small that doesn’t mean they’re not powerful – with the help of these small cells, EE is now far better equipped to cope with the massive demand for connectivity seen at stadiums during events, busy city centres, and seaside towns at the height of summer.
EE notes that its 611 small cell sites (developed by Nokia) currently carry 20TB of data traffic every day, which is the equivalent of streaming 8,000 hours of HD video or 280,000 hours of music. So they can make a big difference.
James Hope, Director of Mobile Radio Access Networks at EE said: “As demand for data continues to rise, small cells are becoming an increasingly integral part of our mobile network. Our partnership with Nokia ensures customers continue to benefit from our fastest 4G speeds even at the busiest times and in the most congested of locations, and we’re proud to pass another milestone in this project as we continue to invest in improving the UK’s best mobile network up and down the country.”
EE isn’t stopping there though, as the network plans to install hundreds more small cells in the coming months, both in towns and cities that already have some, and those that currently have none.
And while its focus with small cells is currently enhanced 4G performance (with them enabling download speeds of up to 300Mbps even at busy times), EE is also trialling the extension of its small cells to accommodate its 5G network, through seamless upgrades. So in the coming years all of this small scale investment could also benefit EE’s 5G network.
