Millions of people and businesses attending the UK’s biggest events and festivals this summer will be able to benefit from a significant boost to their mobile connectivity, with fewer dropped calls, less buffering and more reliable signal, after EE revealed its 5G+ network will be activated at more than 25 major events – including BST Hyde Park, Isle of Wight Festival, Reading and Leeds Festival, the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
At the same time, people and businesses in more than 30 towns across the UK have been given a major signal boost as EE expands its 5G+ network ahead of the busy summer season.
These upgrades come as EE’s new nationwide advertising campaign, which launches today, highlights how customers can get the edge with 5G+, which is EE’s most powerful and reliable form of 5G connectivity.
5G+ has been designed to provide customers with stronger mobile internet connections, faster download and upload speeds, and improved video calling, especially in busy locations and at peak times.
By deploying 5G+ connectivity on its temporary mobile sites at festivals and events, EE is helping improve how attendees stay connected to friends and family, as well as how businesses engage with their customers – even in remote event locations or when the mobile network is at peak demand as thousands of people try to call, chat, and stream at the same time.
As part of a long-standing commitment to support culturally important events in all parts of the UK, EE will be making 5G+ available at major regional showcases, such as the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival in Kiltarlity, the Devon County Show, and the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells where it has delivered permanent 5G+ connectivity for enhanced mobile performance all-year round.
Connecting communities and the country with 5G+
With customer usage of 5G+ increasing by more than 11% between March and April, EE is continuing to rapidly expand the coverage of its most reliable mobile technology to meet demand and ensure the benefits of 5G+ connectivity continue to be felt by communities and businesses in every corner of the UK.
5G+ on EE is now available to 75% of the UK population, with these latest upgrades meaning the technology covers more than 44 million people in England, over 2.1 million people in Wales and 3.3 million people in Scotland, as well as nearly one million people in Northern Ireland.
“The summer has arrived and as our town centres and tourist hotspots get busier, staying connected with fast, secure and reliable mobile coverage has never been more important. 5G+ on EE has been designed to deliver exactly that, so whether you’re video-calling your friends from a packed festival crowd or just keeping in touch with your family while you’re shopping in the high street, switching to 5G+ means you can benefit from a more dependable connection,” said Greg McCall, chief security and networks officer at BT – which connects EE, BT and Plusnet customers.
“We continue to build on our commitment to give customers access to the most reliable connectivity on the UK’s best mobile network. By investing in these latest 5G+ upgrades, we’re ensuring we’re on track to deliver our ambition to bring the UK’s highest quality 5G+ connectivity to 99% of the population by the end of March 2030,” he added.
EE expands UK-first rollout of ARC
As part of BT’s £40 billion investment in upgrading the UK’s network infrastructure this decade, EE customers are also benefitting from the roll out of ARC (Advanced RAN Coordination), a technology that enables mobile sites close to each other to dynamically share capacity in real time, instantly boosting network performance – particularly download speeds – by up to 20% without the need for additional masts.
After already making ARC live for customers in Edinburgh, Manchester and London, the technology is now improving the everyday mobile experience for EE customers in the busiest areas of Liverpool, Sheffield, Cardiff, Glasgow, Newcastle, and Leeds as part the UK’s first rollout of the technology.
All EE 5G customers are able to benefit from the improvements ARC is providing, however 5G+ customers will see the biggest boost to their network speeds and performance on their devices.
5G+ gives customers the edge when it matters most
With EE’s 5G+ network now being used by a growing number of people and businesses, the operator’s new advertising campaign launches nationwide today, highlighting how the reliability and capacity benefits of 5G+ help give customers the edge in everyday life; whether that is booking their next event tickets while at a festival stage or sliding in to bag the last e-bike on the commute home, with 5G+ customers can stay ahead when it matters most.
