EE 4G Now Reaches 93 Percent Of UK And 12.6m Customers
EE 4G network continues to grow but revenues are flat ahead of potential BT takeover
EE’s 4G network now covers 93 percent of the UK population, with more than half of its customers now opting for LTE, the operator has revealed.
The company now has 12.6 million 4G users, and switched on its 10,000th LTE site during the most recent quarter. Its ‘double speed’ 4G service now reaches 75 percent of the population. The firm previously had 10.9 million 4G customers, while its network was available to 90 percent of the UK
EE claims new spectrum and other network improvements such as Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi), which now has 1.7 million active users, will improve its LTE service further. High frequency 2.6GHz is being rolled out to power the ‘4G+’ network.
EE 4G growth
Major customer wins included Lancashire Constabulary, Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Mail, the latter of whom has become the first big firm to subscribe to EE Connect – a dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) 4G network.
The postal service will use IoT technology to connect its 123,000 postmen and women, helping the total number of M2M connections rise to 2.1 million.
EE’s fixed broadband service customer base rose by 17 percent year-on-year and enjoyed a 12 percent revenue increase, but despite these gains the company’s overall income fell by 0.3 percent to £1.59 billion.
“We’ve seen strong commercial momentum as business and consumers embrace the benefits of our network, with more than two-thirds of postpaid mobile customers now using 4G, providing a solid platform for the future,” said Neal Milsom, CFO of EE. “Our broader portfolio has boosted total connections to 31.3m. Our new Connected products range, combined with a mix of premium and low cost 4G devices, now offer more choice than ever for our customers.”
EE is in the process of being bought by BT for £12.5 billion and the takeover bid is currently being reviewed by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
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