Broadband ISP and mobile operator EE (BT) has this morning announced the next batch of 16 new UK locations (towns and cities) where their new 5G Standalone (SA) network will be deployed “before the end of the year“, which will bring various benefits such as faster speeds, network prioritisation and other features to customers.
The majority of UK 5G mobile networks today are Non-Standalone (NSA), which means they are still partly reliant upon older and slower 4G infrastructure. But SA networks are pure end-to-end 5G that can deliver ultra-low latency times, greater energy efficiency, better speeds (particularly uploads), network slicing, improved support for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, support for Voice over New Radio (VoNR or Vo5G) and increased reliability and security etc.
NOTE: Network slicing allows for multiple virtual network slices across the same physical network. Each slice is isolated from other network traffic to give dedicated performance, with the features of the slice tailored to the use case requirements (online gaming, enhanced mobile broadband etc.).
Just to recap. EE officially launched a range of new 5G SA supporting mobile plans across 15 major UK cities last month (here), including Bath, Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield.
The next batch of 16 additional locations, which are due to go live before the end of this year, should result in EE’s new 5G SA network being able to “cover an area of more than 21 million people, almost a third of the UK population“.
EE’s 16 New 5G SA Locations
Ashton-under-Lyne
Barrow-in-Furness
Barry
Birkenhead
Bury
Coventry
Dudley
Dundee
Newport
Nottingham
St Helens
Stockport
Swansea
Weston Super Mare
Wigan
Wolverhampton
We should point out that, unlike some other operators, EE generally don’t announce a new location as being live until they’ve achieved a good level of initial coverage. Take note that EE has committed to delivering at least 95% outdoor coverage in “every town or city where it launches 5G standalone to date“.
The operator claims that its own network performance data has shown that 5G standalone is already “delivering a better mobile internet experience, with customers using the network benefitting from improved video calls, streaming and online gaming, both in and out of their homes – as well as higher quality voice calls even in congested areas“, although they didn’t substantiate this with any results.
However, 5G SA technology is still somewhat constrained by limited device support, with EE saying it’s currently available on the following kit: Apple iPhone 15 and 16 series, Samsung Galaxy S23 and S24 lineup, TCL 50, Moto Razer 50 Ultra, and Moto G85 5G with further smartphones to be enabled in the “coming months“. It is also available on EE 5GEE WiFi and 5GEE Home (Smart 5G Hub).