13 Sep 2018

EE refarming 3G spectrum for 4G

In the next six months, BT Group-owned EE will switch more than 500 mobile towers’ use of its 2,100MHz spectrum from 3G to 4G, in the process enabling LTE users to benefit from five-carrier aggregation.

These sites are situated where there is the greatest demand for mobile internet and are mainly spread across Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Exeter, Hull, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast.

The company has also stated that it will switch on its 5G network in 2019 and that its 5G sites will be built on top of the upgraded sites with the maximum amount of 4G spectrum, in the busiest areas.

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer business, said: “Our customers want a fast and reliable 4G connection, and that’s what we’re working to give them. We are using the investment we made in 3G spectrum nearly 15 years ago to give customers today a great experience with the latest smartphones on 4G, and build our foundation for 5G in 2019. We’re constantly evolving, and the customer experience of 5G will be dictated by the quality of the 4G network underneath.”