EE has switched on its expanding UK-wide 4G network in rural Cumbria, bringing superfast home and office broadband to over 2,000 residents and businesses for the first time.
The rollout follows EE’s 4G commercial trial in the area of Threlkeld, where users experienced average speeds of 24mbps. The network has now been extended to cover more than 100 square miles, spanning from Wigton in the north to Threlkeld in the south.
From 6 December residents and businesses covered by EE’s 4G network in Cumbria will be able to sign up to a 4GEE wireless broadband data plan for their home or office, with a promotional offer of 20GB for £25 per month (it goes up to £30 at the end of January).
The new wireless broadband plan comes with a home-based device for £69.99. Connecting to the new service is simple, customers just need to plug in the router and turn it on.
The device, the Huawei B953, has high-gain internal antennas and is designed specifically to suit the needs of rural locations. It delivers a WiFi broadband signal just like a being connected to a fixed line fibre broadband network, said EE.
EE CEO Olaf Swantee said: “Our goal is to enhance the digital lives of everyone in the UK, and this major expansion of our superfast broadband service in one of the most rural and geographically challenging areas of the country is a big step towards that goal."
EE plans to roll out 4G across the rest of Cumbria (around another 100 square miles) by March 2014.