EE rolls out 4G services to 12 more towns and cities

published 30 May 2013

Mobile operator EE is bringing its 4G services to 12 more towns and cities across the UK, as it continues to make the most of its head start in the superfast network stakes.

The firm now offers access to 4G in 74 UK towns and cities, with Ashton-under-Lyne, Chatham, Gillingham, High Wycombe, Merthyr Tydfil, Oldham, Oxford, Rochester, Runcorn, Sale, Stafford and Wigan the latest to be added.

Just seven months after launch, we've covered millions of consumers and businesses with one of the fastest mobile networks in the world.

Olaf Swantee, chief executive of EE, said the pace of the rollout has put the firm at the "forefront" of the UK's mobile market.

"Just seven months after launch, we've covered millions of consumers and businesses with one of the fastest mobile networks in the world."

EE was granted permission by regulator Ofcom to reuse its 1800 MHz spectrum allocation to provide 4G services across the UK back in August 2012.

The decision has given EE a significant head start on its competitors, as many of them were unable to launch their own superfast services until the outcome of the Ofcom 4G spectrum auction was announced in February.

That's not to say it's been all plain sailing for EE, as the firm's 4G pricing and data allowances were widely criticised in the past, forcing it to cut the price of some of its services.

Despite that, the company recently reported that 318,000 customers have signed up to use its 4G service since its launch in September 2012.

The company also announced the release of its new 30-day SIM only 4G pricing plans yesterday, which will allow users to essentially trial the service before committing to an extended contract.

Pricing starts from 23, which will provide users with 500MB of data, while the most expensive plan will set them back by 63 for 20GB of data.

Caroline Donnelly is the news and analysis editor of IT Pro and its sister site Cloud Pro, and covers general news, as well as the storage, security, public sector, cloud and Microsoft beats. Caroline has been a member of the IT Pro/Cloud Pro team since March 2012, and has previously worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.