EE UK Extends 4G Mobile Coverage Across the Lake District

Broadband ISP and mobile operator EE (BT) has today announced that, as part of their commitment under the £1bn industry-led Shared Rural Network (SRN) project, they’ve just upgraded two masts to help extend their 4G mobile network across the southern Lake District in Cumbria (Northwest England).

The SRN is an industry-led scheme – supported by £500m of public funding and £530m from operators – that aims to help extend geographic 4G coverage (aggregate) to 95% of the UK by the end of 2025 (the 5G rollout will also benefit). The scheme essentially involves both the reciprocal sharing of existing masts in certain areas and the demand-led building and sharing of new masts in others between the operators.

In terms of EE’s progress, the latest development comes from the Lake District, which is one of the most visited national parks in the UK, with upwards of 15 million visitors every year. But in being quite a rugged and rural location, big chunks of the area also tend to be quite poorly served in terms of mobile coverage. But this is now being improved.

One of the upgraded masts is located between Coniston Water and Windermere, bringing coverage to locations including Hay Bridge Nature Reserve, Rusland and parts of Grizedale Forest. The other is to the southeast of Windermere Lake, providing improved coverage to rural areas including Cartmel Fell, Whitbarrow National Nature Reserve and down towards the River Kent estuary and Milnthorpe – including a large section of the A590. Both masts have been situated in “non-intrusive areas“, although the exact locations aren’t stated.

Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT Group, said:

“The Lake District is iconic for its natural beauty and its flourishing rural communities. These new 4G upgrades will not only mean residents will be able to stay connected to the people and things they love most, but businesses and community groups can use the network to offer new services and experiences to the millions of tourists who visit every year.

Having upgraded more than 1,500 rural locations so far under the Shared Rural Network programme, EE is delivering the far-reaching connectivity that rural communities rely on across the UK.”

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said:

“This improved connectivity can deliver a big boost to rural communities like ours, supporting residents, local businesses and visitors with faster 4G mobile internet access and high-quality, reliable calling.

The Lake District is one of the most iconic parts of the British countryside, so it is great to see remote areas getting the infrastructure they need to thrive in the digital age.”

Just to be clear. The 95% SRN target is only when service is available from at least one operator, while the UK coverage forecast for SRN completion for all operators (i.e. geographic areas where you’ll be able to take 4G from all four providers) is actually just 84% for the same date.

The target also varies between different parts of the UK. For example, 4G Coverage from at least one MNO is expected to reach 98% in England, 91% in Scotland, 95% in Wales and 98% in Northern Ireland. But this falls to 90% in England, 74% in Scotland, 80% in Wales and 85% in Northern Ireland when looking at 4G coverage from all MNOs combined.

Finally, while the SRN doesn’t specifically require 5G to be deployed, the infrastructure they’re building can often still be used to support it. All of this should help with EE’s ambition to deliver 5G connectivity solutions anywhere in the UK by 2028 – through a combination of permanent coverage (90% of the UK’s landmass) and on-demand solutions (to tackle the final 10%).