EE extends 5G standalone network to more than 80% of the population
Two years after launch, the standalone layer carries a growing share of EE's traffic, and BT is adding peak-time priority for small businesses and AI-driven radio on top of it
- 5G+ carries more than 10% of all data traffic on EE's network, double the share a year earlier
- EE's target is 5G+ coverage for 99% of the population by the end of March 2030
- BT has delivered its first 2.8Gbps microwave link, 40% more capacity than its previous 2Gbps benchmark
- Microwave links connect mobile sites where laying fiber is impractical
The announcement gives no business pricing or service-level terms for Fast Lane, so what peak-time priority costs a small business, and what EE commits to deliver, is not yet public. Fast Lane runs only on the standalone layer, so a business can use it only at sites where 5G+ has already reached.
“But reaching more people is only part of the story. We’re continuing to invest in making the network smarter and more responsive too, exploring technologies such as AI-RAN that could help us stay ahead of growing demand and deliver an even better experience for customers.”Greg McCall, chief security and networks officer, BT Group
BT Group said on 21 October that 5G+, the name EE uses for its 5G standalone network, now covers more than 80% of the population, just over two years after the service launched.
As ISPreview reported, the figure stood at 78% in August 2026, and EE has no geographic coverage target alongside its population goal. The latest additions include Bicester, Chester and Durham, Portrush and Strabane, Neath and Penarth, and Greenock and Alexandria, as well as parts of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.
BT says it has also added five-carrier aggregation and widened its use of ARC technology to put more capacity into busy locations. Fast Lane, which EE launched in August and which BT describes as the first commercial network slice in its home market, reserves 5G+ capacity for consumers and small businesses when the network is at its busiest.
Working with NVIDIA and Nokia, BT plans to bring its first AI-RAN sites, which run AI software in the radio access network, online in Birmingham in 2027, taking the technology out of the lab and onto EE's live network.
Sources
- EE, “EE introduces a UK first: Fast Lane on 5G+, giving customers the edge on the UK’s best network, when the network is busiest”, press release, 20 August 2026. https://newsroom.ee.co.uk/ee-introduces-a-uk-first-fast-lane-on-5g-giving-customers-the-edge-on-the-uks-best-network-when-the-network-is-busiest/
- BT Group, “BT Group’s EE 5G+ network reaches more than 80% of the UK as more customers embrace next-generation connectivity”, press release, 21 October 2026. https://newsroom.bt.com/bt-groups-ee-5g-network-reaches-more-than-80-of-the-uk-as-more-customers-embrace-next-generation-connectivity/
- ISPreview, “EE’s 5G+ mobile network reaches over 80 percent of UK and trials AI-RAN”, 21 October 2026. https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/10/ees-5g-mobile-network-reaches-over-80-percent-of-uk-and-trials-ai-ran.html
