EE BOOSTS MOBILE COVERAGE FOR BRIGHTON COMMUTERS AS VISITORS RETURN TO CAPITAL
EE builds nearly 70 new 4G mobile sites, with hundreds more planned, to improve coverage along London’s key commuter rail routes as workers start returning to the office
Six new 4G sites have been installed along the route between Brighton and London Victoria
Data speeds boosted at the capital’s busiest stations, with mobile network capacity doubled at London Euston and London Liverpool Street
EE completes first phase of coverage improvements on HS1 line, ahead of delivering coverage in all tunnels later this summer
EE has today announced significant upgrades to its mobile network across key commuter routes in and out of London – including the Brighton to London Victoria line.
In the past year, EE has built nearly 70 new 4G sites and upgraded dozens more across multiple lines in London to provide an unrivalled mobile experience to workers and visitors returning to the city.
As part of the upgrade, the mobile network operator has boosted connectivity with six new masts along the route between Brighton and London Victoria stations.
EE has also improved connectivity on seven sections of the route between London Euston and Birmingham New Street. Other lines to see upgrades include London Paddington to Reading, and London Liverpool Street to Chelmsford. The improvements across all lines build on EE’s existing performance leadership across all eight commuter routes tested by RootMetrics last year*.
EE, part of BT Group, has also boosted performance on key lines used by travellers to and from the UK ahead of any easing of restrictions on international travel this summer. This includes the first in-tunnel 4G coverage on the HS1 line between St Pancras International and Ashford International, which will be extended to deliver coverage throughout all tunnels later this summer. Improvements have also been made on key sections of rail lines to London’s Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick airports.
In addition to boosting connectivity on commuter routes, EE has upgraded its mobile network in some of London’s busiest rail stations during the pandemic. EE has more than doubled its network capacity at London Euston, London Liverpool Street and City Thameslink stations, as well as enhancing its mobile network at London Victoria, London Kings Cross and Charing Cross. The upgrades will provide travellers with extra capacity to seamlessly stream, game or work whilst on the move.
The news also comes just a month after EE launched 5G services in Brighton. The city is the first place in East Sussex to receive the next generation mobile technology on EE’s network, bringing faster speeds and more reliable connections for people in the city.
Jane Thomas, BT Group regional lead for London and the South East, said: “This is fantastic news for commuters in Brighton as we begin to see more staff returning to offices and workplaces.
“Commuters, as well as general visitors between Brighton and London, will benefit from more reliable connectivity during their journeys – important for those who need to work on the train, make video calls, or simply keep in touch with colleagues or friends and family while they travel.”
EE customers will continue to benefit from a recent contract renewal to provide connectivity on the London Underground platforms. BT & Plusnet customers will also be able to access the free WIFI coverage which includes many underground station halls.
Work on the lines into the heart of London consist of 69 new sites and over 35 upgraded sites to date, and form part of wider efforts to improve mobile coverage across large parts of the UK’s railway estate. Station upgrades have been largely delivered over in-building DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems) technology and in some cases reconfigured to work over 2 x 2 MIMO (multiple input multiple output) antenna which enhance performance.