EE 4G UK rollout reaches Cornwall

EE has confirmed that its 4G network is now available in Cornwall for the first time, as it continues to push ahead with the rollout of its superfast technology.

The first Cornish town to get access to 4G is Saltash, near the river Tamar, which is home to 15,000 people, and has been named by EE as the 250th town to benefit from it.

The mobile operator has also announced the names of a further 21 towns, spanning Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Midlands, the south west and north west of England, where the network has now been switched on.

They include Bellshill, Sutton in Ashfield, Gravesend, Craigavon, Tyldesley, Cheshunt, Swadlincote, Bishop's Stortford, Leyland, Guiseley, Ballymena, Frimley, Ormskirk, Potters Bar, Banbridge, Nailsea, Keynsham, Armagh City, Strabane and Dungannon.

This, it claims, is part of its pledge to bring connectivity to areas that currently don't have widespread access to mobile and fixed-line communications services.

Olaf Swantee,CEO of EE, hailed the arrival of 4G in Cornwall as a "landmark" achievement in its ongoing 4G rollout efforts.

"This is a landmark in our work to bring superfast mobile internet to as many people in as many places as possible," he explained.

"We know the benefits that 4G offers to consumers and businesses, and we're investing heavily in areas that have not previously had good mobile or fixed line coverage where those benefits can have an ever greater impact."

Sheryll Murray, MP for South East Cornwall, said the arrival of 4G would be welcomed by local businesses and residents in the area.

"Now the latest generation of mobile technology has arrived, Saltash is an area where it is even more attractive to live, to work and to do business. The arrival of 4G makes this part of Cornwall one of the best connected areas in the UK," she added.

According to EE's recent half year results, the company now has 4.2 million 4G customers in the UK, with 1.3 million of these signing up for the network in the second quarter alone.