EE ups UK wireless ante with 5G standalone network, Wi-Fi 7 router

In a move that the UK’s largest comms operator claims will see customers being offered the country’s best connectivity in and out of home, EE has launched 5G standalone (5G SA) mobile networks in 15 cities across the UK, and revealed plans to introduce Wi-Fi 7-based customer equipment for fixed broadband.

5G SA has been available in the UK for just over a year, and research has shown that UK businesses are already set to invest in both smartphone and advanced 5G SA mobile services, highlighting how critical reliable data connections are to success.

Indeed, the research found a vast majority of customers already regard the roll-out of 5G SA as either important or extremely important, adding that lower latency would help business growth, and that they increase 5G investments when advanced capabilities are made available to derive a better competitive advantage through enabling innovation.

EE said its 5G standalone network will set a new standard for connectivity, bringing benefits to customers from day one, and being the first of its kind in the UK to offer near-uninterrupted outdoor coverage in every city it launches. The initial launch cities are Bath, Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield, and the service will be available across a range of handsets and plans.

In addition, a network feature, Network Boost, will be deployed to help improve performance in busy areas. Exclusive to some tariffs, the offer will look to enhance performance to customers when the network is busy by allocating more capacity to a customer, meaning they always get the best available performance.

The 5G standalone network is also being powered by artificial intelligence (AI) technology, using automation to improve reliability and machine learning to reduce energy demand on the Grid, by putting mobile cells into sleep mode when not being used. Identified by EE as the backbone of many future services, the operator said the 5G standalone network has been designed to deliver the smooth running of future AI applications, ensuring they connect seamlessly to the cloud to provide the best experience.

EE said it’s also exploring ways the technology will overhaul how customers experience connectivity in the future, by improving latency, protecting spectrum and providing quality of service guarantees for businesses. Following an exclusive partnership and global first with Google, EE is also making Google One AI Premium available to help customers tackle their most complex projects with AI-powered tools.

In the fixed domain, the Smart Hub Pro and Smart WiFi Pro have been launched to offer home broadband customers wireless access based on the Wi-Fi 7 standard.

EE said its customers can benefit from gigabit Wi-Fi throughout the home with faster speed, less interference, more capacity and better performance to support the many high-bandwidth activities of the future, and providing them with choice based on their needs. EE said that when used together with the Smart Hub Pro, Smart WiFi Pro will give customers a minimum of 100Mbps connection in every room, with a money-back guarantee.

For the launch, EE is collaborating with Qualcomm Technologies to use its networking platforms to deliver “global-leading speeds and performance”.

EE said its full-fibre customers will be among the first in the world to access technology designed to meet the growing demands of a connected home, meaning better experience of applications such as augmented and virtual reality, and 4K and 8K video streaming.

“EE is launching UK firsts in network capabilities designed to unleash the huge potential of a wave of AI-powered devices,” said EE CEO Marc Allera. “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.

“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.”