EE is the first mobile operator globally to roll out inter-site 5G downlink carrier aggregation within its distributed Radio Access Network (RAN) to improve network performance in city centres during peak times.
With Ericsson’s Advanced RAN Coordination (ARC) technology, EE can;
Combine spare capacity from multiple independent cell sites, increasing downlink data performance by approximately 20 per cent on average, and more than doubling performance under ideal conditions
Scale performance efficiently, keeping infrastructure costs low while delivering high-impact results for customers where it’s needed most
Leverage BT Group’s industry-leading fibre infrastructure, which connects cell sites with ultra-low latency - a crucial step for enabling real-time coordination between sites, with less than a half a millisecond delay.
Already live in Manchester and Edinburgh, EE will deploy ARC over the next 12 months to an additional nine cities where capacity is needed most: London, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool, Belfast, Cardiff, Newcastle, Sheffield and Sunderland throughout the next year.
Alongside ARC, EE continues its rollout of 5G standalone at an unprecedented pace. Currently reaching more than half the UK population, EE’s 5GSA will be deployed to an additional 17 towns and cities by the end of the year.
EE’s commitment to rapid 5G standalone and ARC deployment are clear signals of the operator’s commitment to innovation, efficiency, and customer experience.
LONDON, 9th September: Millions of people across the UK are getting a significant boost to their 5G connectivity after EE unveiled two major upgrades – including becoming the first operator in the world to launch ARC in its distributed mobile network.
Advanced RAN Coordination (ARC) is a ground-breaking technology that allows mobile sites near to each other to remotely pair up and share capacity, dramatically boosting network performance – especially in busy areas at peak times – without the need for additional masts.
Already live on EE’s network in major cities including Manchester and Edinburgh, ARC is delivering faster and more reliable 5G connectivity for customers in busy locations like train stations, high streets and city centres – including improved video streaming and 20 percent faster download speeds on average.
Throughout the next year EE plans to deploy the technology across some of the UK’s busiest cities, boosting 5G performance for customers in London, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool, Belfast, Cardiff, Newcastle, Sheffield and Sunderland. Customers in these places using the latest 5G standalone (5GSA) compatible devices – on both iOS and Android – will see the biggest performance gains.
With global brands like Apple, Samsung, Google, Honor, Lenovo and Microsoft continuing to launch new devices with 5G standalone access - including smartphones, tablets and laptops - EE is innovating its network to give people across the UK the best mobile experiences on the devices they use every day.
To enable more customers to benefit from the best mobile connectivity available to them, EE is continuing to rapidly rollout 5G standalone to a further 17 new towns and cities by the end of December 2025.
EE’s ambition is to make 5G standalone available to more than 41 million people by spring 2026. The new locations set to benefit next include: Basildon, Bolton, Brighton and Hove, Colchester, Gloucester, Lincoln, Maidstone, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northampton, Oxford, Plymouth, Half, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Telford.
Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT Group
EE customers are the first in the world to benefit from this technology, with millions of them getting a huge boost to the 5G connectivity they rely on every day. By increasing capacity in this way, our customers will get faster speeds and an even more reliable experience instantly. It is a real game-changer and yet another example of how the nation gets a better network experience on EE. We are building our 5G standalone network at an unprecedented pace to connect customers, communities, and the country to the most reliable and powerful mobile experiences. For those people wanting to get the most out of the newest 5GSA-enabled smartphones, they need the UK’s best 5G network to match and that’s exactly what EE delivers
