EE says it will upgrade its 4G network in more than 2,000 locations by June 2024 as part of its commitment to the Shared Rural Network (SRN).
SRN is a government and industry initiative to improve rural coverage in the UK. An agreement was reached last year between the government and the country's four main operators, EE, O2, Three and Vodafone, to build new sites and share infrastructure in areas of the country that do not have access to the four networks.
Operators will invest €530 million to open and share their infrastructure and pay each other access fees.
4G shared rural network
Meanwhile, the government has pledged to provide up to £500m to build new masts in a "total no" where there is no 4G coverage from any operator. The goal is to reach 95% of the UK's land area by 2025.
EE states that it has already upgraded 853 sites since the deal was signed and will make each site included in this latest phase of the program available to other operators so they can extend their network coverage.
"Today we renew our commitment to strengthen rural connectivity, helping to improve mobile performance, regardless of __cpLocation," said BT chief executive Philip Jansen. “The investment that BT has made in rural areas means we have the infrastructure to extend our 4G coverage even further, minimizing the number of new sites we have to build to ensure everyone has access to a network. Reliable connectivity.
“EE remains the only provider of 4G coverage in many UK __cpLocations, and we encourage other operators to recognize the opportunity to share our site offerings to fill gaps in their networks. "
The SRN's commitments are subject to the control of Ofcom, which will have the power to impose fines of up to 10% of an operator's gross billing if it does not meet its targets.