EE and Nokia have already installed small cells in Leeds, London and Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool, among other cities
UK carrier EE, part of telecom group BT, said it has successfully deployed 200 new small cells across its network to boost capacity in high demand areas.
In a release, the operator said that this deployment is already allowing customers to benefit from download speeds up to 300 Mbps.
Working in partnership with Nokia, EE uses advanced network analytics to identify areas where small cells will deliver a boost to network performance. A 4G small cell solution is then deployed which uses multiple spectrum bands to give a better experience. EE’s licensed 1,800MHz and 2,600 MHz spectrum bands are coupled with unlicensed 5GHz spectrum, to deliver standout speeds in densely congested areas. EE is making use of existing street assets to minimize their impact, including lamp posts, CCTV columns and BT phone boxes.
EE and Nokia have already installed small cells in Leeds, London and Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham and Scarborough. The telco said it expects to deploy hundreds more small cells in the next 18 months, as EE uses the technology to bring additional network capacity to more locations, including some summer hotspots. EE also said it will use small cells to extend its 5G network across the UK.
David Salam, Director of Mobile Networks, at EE, said: “Investment and innovation are the key to consistent network improvement and this partnership with Nokia, to deploy small cells to support our 4G – and in the future, 5G – network, is a new solution to maintain our network leadership in the UK.”
Mark Atkinson, SVP, Radio Access Networks PLM at Nokia, said: “We are proud to partner with EE to realize the deployment of high-capacity small cells across the UK. Nokia’s extensive portfolio of outdoor and indoor small cells provides premium 4G and 5G performance in dense urban and in-building environments.”
EE claimed to be the first UK network to combine unlicensed and licensed spectrum in a single 4G small cell. Using Licensed-assisted access (LAA) allows network operators to exploit the additional capacity of 5 GHz spectrum for a downlink to the mobile phone.
EE previously said it expects to reach half of the U.K. population with its 5G service by early 2023. The telco said that its 5G network will reach 90% of the country’s territory by 2028.
EE initially launched 5G technology in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester. Other large cities in which the telco offers 5G coverage includes Bristol, Covently, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Sunderland.
