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EE has launched its new 5G standalone (5GSA) mobile network in 15 major UK cities, alongside a new Wi-Fi 7 Smart Hub Pro for home broadband users. The 5GSA network is designed to enhance mobile coverage and performance, while the Wi-Fi 7 hub provides faster, more reliable connectivity indoors.
The new 5GSA network, is now live in Bath, Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Sheffield. The plans offer improved outdoor coverage and is available through a new range of monthly plans. Built to support the growing number of AI-powered devices, the network provides faster speeds, lower latency, and enhanced reliability. A key feature of the 5GSA network is “Network Boost,” which improves performance in busy areas by allocating additional capacity to users on select plans.
“Today, EE is launching UK firsts in network capabilities designed to unleash the huge potential of a wave of AI powered devices. 5G standalone is a new mobile network giving enhanced performance to customers from day one and unlocks game-changing new services of the future. It’s been built to handle the growing range of AI-powered devices, from smartphones to laptops, tablets and more,” said EE CEO Marc Allera in a press release.
“Wi-Fi 7 for the home is another first for EE customers, giving households higher speeds and better capacity to support devices in every corner of their home. Together, these new technologies bring EE customers the best networks in and out of the home,” he continued.
EE’s new mobile plans also offer unlimited data options and include roaming allowances for the EU and select international destinations. Customers on premium plans will have access to Google One AI Premium tools, as well as services like Apple One, Netflix, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
On the home broadband front, EE’s new Wi-Fi 7 Smart Hub Pro, developed with Qualcomm, delivers faster speeds, less interference, and better coverage. Full Fibre customers will benefit from gigabit speeds and a guaranteed 100Mbps connection in every room, with a money-back guarantee for dissatisfied users.
Join Marc Allera at next week’s Connected Britain, 11-12 September in London. Get last minute discounted tickets here!
Also in the news:
Coastguard’s emergency network gets an upgrade from Telent
AT&T fined nearly $1m over 911 failings
How will the CityFibre–Sky deal really affect BT?
As I reflect on our journey leading up to Connected Britain 2024, it’s incredible to think that seamless, high-speed internet—once a luxury—is now becoming a fundamental right that fuels innovation and growth across the UK. I’m genuinely excited about Cornerstone’s role in enabling a digitally connected society across all Four Corners of the UK through our national platform. Our goal is to ensure that your connected world is always within reach.
Having recently toured the Four Corners of the UK, I saw firsthand how Cornerstone’s work is not just addressing today’s connectivity needs but is truly shaping a brighter, more interconnected future for businesses and communities nationwide. Here’s a snippet of my personal observations of our work alongside other leaders and colleagues in the industry who also have a part to play in shaping the UK’s digital economy.
England: Strengthening Local Connections
My 1305-mile tour began in the small seaside town of Littlehampton. Our partnership with Isthmian League semi-professionals Littlehampton Town Football Club is a poignant example of how connectivity can uplift local communities. Following a severe storm that damaged a Cornerstone mast at the football club, our response ensured that vital community events could continue without disruption. What started as an emergency repair transformed into a meaningful collaboration. We supported the club not only by restoring functionality but also by enabling digital payment solutions that streamline matchday transactions. This initiative has reinforced the club’s role as a community hub, enhancing local engagement and supporting the club’s growth. Littlehampton FC’s ability to maintain its community activities and embrace modern technology reflects our commitment to strengthening the local economy and fostering community development. We are a proud sponsor.
Wales: Bridging Digital Gaps in Rural Areas
My next stop took me deep into the most remote parts of Wales. Here, our efforts have focused on bridging the digital divide in some of the country’s most isolated regions. In Carmarthenshire, we addressed a critical need for our customers Vodafone, VMO2 and Three, supporting them to bring the necessary and reliable connectivity in a rural area that had long struggled with getting online access for the everyday things we take for granted. By deploying advanced satellite backhaul and power generation technology, we’ve transformed access for residents and businesses across a 20km radius, unlocking new opportunities for economic activity and social inclusion. The impact has been profound—local businesses can now reach new markets, and residents enjoy improved access to services and social connections in an area prone to isolation and with high unemployment and mortality rates. Similarly, in Builth Wells we overcame steep terrain and regulatory challenges with innovative solutions. We collaborated with local stakeholders such as council representatives, farmers and residents, who helped us navigate the terrain, demonstrating our commitment to blending modern technology with respect for the region’s unique characteristics and needs. We know that nature and technology can and must co-exist.
Scotland: Driving Digital Innovation in Glasgow
A short flight later, we found ourselves in the bustling, vibrant city of Glasgow. Our initiatives here are enhancing the city’s digital infrastructure with a focus on both technological advancement and environmental impact. Our collaboration with Vodafone, Arqiva, Cambridge University, and others has led to the deployment of smart water meters across the city, revolutionising water management with real-time data. This project not only enhances resource efficiency but also supports Glasgow’s sustainability goals. Additionally, our Air Quality Sensor Network, measures pollution particulates and their movement, providing valuable data to tackle urban air quality challenges. By working closely with Glasgow City Council, we are not just enhancing connectivity; we are helping Glasgow emerge as a leader in digital excellence and sustainability. Our efforts contribute to a healthier environment and demonstrate our commitment to integrating technology with environmental stewardship.
Northern Ireland: Enhancing Connectivity in Torr
Our final stop was to the breathtaking coastal town of Torr, just outside Ballycastle in Northern Ireland. Here, we demonstrated firsthand how improved connectivity can invigorate local economies and tourism. Located along the stunning Causeway Coast Road, Torr faced significant challenges with limited mobile and broadband access, impacting tourism, local businesses and public services. By installing new 4G infrastructure, we’ve enabled our customers to address these issues, providing visitors, residents and businesses with reliable connectivity to support economic growth and enhance the tourism experience. Our integration of this technology with the region’s rich heritage required careful planning and collaboration with the Historic Environment Division to preserve historical sites, including a Cold War Navy listening station and ancient burial grounds. Our work ensures that Torr can benefit from modern connectivity while maintaining its unique historical context, an area of outstanding natural beauty. This project highlights our dedication to respecting and enhancing local heritage while advancing digital progress.
A Vision for the Future
As we look to the future, Cornerstone remains committed to building and maintaining the digital infrastructure that will enable the UK to thrive in an increasingly connected world. Whether it’s supporting community spirit in Littlehampton, bringing connectivity to rural communities in Wales, pioneering air quality monitoring in Glasgow, or driving innovation in remote Torr, our mission is clear: at Cornerstone, your connected world is always within reach.
Connected Britain is a celebration of the achievements of our industry, but from our position, with the largest digital infrastructure in the UK, we know that many people and places are still left behind—without the basic and necessary mobile services that so many rely on. Every day, we design, build, and finance new sites or upgrades across our digital estate. And every single day, we operate and look after our network of 15,700 sites to ensure reliability and resilience for our customers.
More than any other provider in the UK, we are safeguarding the critical infrastructure of the mobile sector. But we still face challenges in some areas where we can’t yet celebrate, held back by the need for more pragmatic reform of town planning. This reform is essential to bring 4G and 5G to over 3,000 places where we’re eager to invest. It’s about more than connectivity—it’s about enabling job creation and driving digital inclusion.
The stories I’ve shared today are a testament to the real impact our infrastructure has on communities across the UK. But we have much more to do, and my appeal is simple: we need to work collectively, across public and private partnerships, to create an effective framework for digital infrastructure planning, one that attracts investment and builds a country for growth.
We’d love to continue this conversation. Please visit us at Exhibitor stand 97 or at the Tower Café during Connected Britain 2024 to explore these exciting developments. Our team looks forward to discussing how we can collaborate to build a more connected and prosperous society.
At Cornerstone, your connected world is always within reach.
Jamie
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About Cornerstone
As the UK’s leading mobile and digital infrastructure services provider, Cornerstone is set to play a pivotal role in Connected Britain 2024. With an impressive portfolio of approximately 15,700 sites across the UK, Cornerstone stands as a beacon of innovation and excellence in infrastructure deployment. Their commitment to advancing the UK’s digital economy aligns seamlessly with the theme of Connected Britain, which aims to explore and enhance the future of digital connectivity.
This week, the Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood will sign a new international agreement to protect human rights, democracy, and the rule of law from potential risks posed by AI.
The treaty, agreed by the Council of Europe, commits countries to work together to regulate AI and prevent its potential misuse. While AI offers benefits like improved productivity and analytics, it also poses risks, such as spreading misinformation or using biased data. The treaty ensures that nations monitor AI developments and manage the technology responsibly.
Once ratified, it will strengthen existing UK laws and regulations on AI.
The agreement has three principles:
“Artificial Intelligence has the capacity to radically improve the responsiveness and effectiveness of public services, and turbocharge economic growth,” said Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in a statement. “However, we must not let AI shape us – we must shape AI.”
“This convention is a major step to ensuring that these new technologies can be harnessed without eroding our oldest values, like human rights and the rule of law,” Mahmood concluded.
Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, echoed this sentiment and invited governments around the world to join the treaty
“Once in force, [the treaty] will further enhance protections for human rights, rule of law and democracy, – strengthening our own domestic approach to the technology while furthering the global cause of safe, secure, and responsible AI,” he said.
Join the conversation around AI in telecoms at next week’s Connected Britain, 11-12 September in London. Get last minute discounted tickets here!
Also in the news:
Coastguard’s emergency network gets an upgrade from Telent
AT&T fined nearly $1m over 911 failings
How will the CityFibre–Sky deal really affect BT?
In addition to the big Verizon/Frontier deal, there was an interesting infrastructure M&A deal yesterday over in southeastern Europe. EXA Infrastructure has agreed to acquire Global Communications Net AD (GCN). … [visit site to read more]
There was a major bit of fiber M&A yesterday of course, among what we once called incumbent telcos. Verizon has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Frontier. The purchase will combine Verizon’s FIOS footprint with the FTTH that Frontier has been building out as well. … [visit site to read more]
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Luis Coton, Allied Telesis
As we come down from the excitement of the Paris Olympics, America is deep in the process of readying for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, CA. When these “mega events” happen, there are countless layers of logistics that go into building, preparing, securing, and managing a successful event. In today’s always-on world, one must be ready for anything. And with everything from transportation to payments systems relying on wireless technology, that means an effective communications network is critical. … [visit site to read more]
Service provider Ooredoo Qatar has announced the successful completion of its trial of Wi-Fi 7 technology. The trial was completed on fibre-to-the-room (FTTR) devices for the first time in the region. The company plans to launch the technology in 2024.
Ooredoo explains that Wi-Fi 7 is set to redefine the internet landscape by enhancing Wi-Fi speed by four times, offering wider coverage and more reliability and reducing latency.
Describing the key features of Wi-Fi 7 on its website, technology company Qualcomm explains that is built upon the IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT) standard and incorporates ultra-wide 320MHz channels, allowing for massive capacity gains and accommodating the ever-growing demands of modern connectivity.
Additionally, Qualcomm says, the implementation of 4K QAM modulation enables peak speeds to surge for lightning-fast data transfer. Wi-Fi 7 also introduces multi-link operation (MLO), a groundbreaking feature which significantly boosts throughput and maintains consistent low latency even in highly congested environments.
In the case of Ooredoo’s FTTR offering, these improvements are critical for supporting next-generation home applications such as 8K video streaming, immersive augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences, and high-definition interactive gaming.
Beyond home use, says Ooredoo, Wi-Fi 7 will drive substantial innovation across various industrial sectors, including telemedicine, cloud computing and industrial IoT, catalysing Qatar’s ongoing digital transformation.
The initial commercial launch of Wi-Fi 7 will be with Ooredoo’s FTTR solution, designed to enhance connectivity across larger homes, thereby, it says, providing a consistently superior internet experience for its customers across all corners of their premises.
