UK telco targets 14 million LTE subs by the end of 2015
U.K. mobile operator EE said it ended the third quarter of 2015 with 12.6 million LTE subscribers, posting 1.7 million net additions for the quarter. Over the past year, the carrier said it has added 7 million LTE connections. The operator said it aims to end 2015 with 14 million LTE customers.
EE claims its LTE network currently reaches 93% of the country’s population, and more than 8,700 businesses use the network, up 40% compared to Q3 2014. The operator also said it has deployed more than 10,000 LTE sites across the country.
EE initially launched LTE services in October 2012, using spectrum in the 1800 MHz band, and has since added support in the 2.6 GHz band.
“We’ve seen strong commercial momentum as business and consumers embrace the benefits of our network, with more than two-thirds of postpaid mobile customers now using 4G, providing a solid platform for the future,” EE CFO Neal Milsom said.
EE also said LTE now represents 52% of the operator’s overall mobile base. By the end of September, the U.K. telco had a total of 31.3 million connections, with postpaid mobile connections totaling 15.2 million.
EE launched LTE-Advanced services in London nearly one year ago. The service now covers 45% of central London. The operator’s 2G coverage reaches 99% of the population and 3G reaches 98%.
In the fixed broadband segment, EE’s subscriber base surged to 927,000 connections from 793,000 connections a year earlier, while machine-to-machine connections reached 2.1 million, climbing 12.4% year-on-year.
Three UK expands 4G speeds
Also in the U.K., mobile operator Three UK announced its LTE speeds will increase by up to 50% nationwide as part of an ongoing rollout of additional spectrum on its network.
The additional 5 megahertz of spectrum in the 1800 MHz band has already been switched on at all the firm’s sites in Northern England, the West Midlands, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The rest of the U.K., including London, will receive access to higher Internet speeds following completion of the rollout, Three UK said. Three’s network covers 98% of the U.K. population.
