EE says it’s delivered “a huge boost” to the connectivity of “millions” of customers through the rollout of 5G+ (previously known as 5G Standalone) and other network upgrades.
Since the start of 2026, EE has extended availability of 5G+ to now cover more than 50 million people across more than 610 towns and cities.
Some of the most recent areas to benefit include: Aberystwyth, Antrim, Bangor (North Wales), Barnsley, Cheltenham, Chichester, Cirencester, Dorchester, Erskine, Melton Mowbray, Merthyr Tydfil, Newbury, Preston, Salford, and St Austell.
EE says it’s seen a 54% increase in monthly customer usage on 5G+ during the last six months.
To benefit from the technology users must have a compatible handset and mobile plan.
Additionally, the network has been reallocating its 2.1GHz (2100MHz) spectrum across more than 4,000 mobile sites to deliver greater network capacity, stronger indoor coverage and improved upload speeds for 5G+ customers. It plans to upgrade a further 5,000 sites in this way over the next few months.
It also says the deployment of carrier aggregation – which allows compatible 5G+ smartphones and devices to combine the power of five spectrum bands at once – has delivered faster download speeds to users.
And it’s announced further progress on the rollout of Advanced RAN Coordination (ARC), a technology that enables mobile sites close to each other to dynamically share capacity in real time to boost network performance by 20% without the need for additional masts while also delivering “the most reliable experience” in busy locations like train stations, high streets and city centres.
Following the launch of the technology in Manchester and Edinburgh last year, ARC is now also live on EE’s 5G+ network in London and by the end of May will be available in Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Sheffield.
“This milestone shows the pace at which we’re building the UK’s most advanced mobile network,” said Greg McCall, Chief Security and Networks Officer at BT Group.
“By expanding EE’s 5G+ coverage to millions more people and being the first in the world to launch new network technologies, we’re giving our customers more reliable and resilient connectivity in the places where it matters most.”