EE brings 5G+ connectivity to millions more customers ahead of the festive season

• More than half a million EE customers across the UK gifted 5G+ access in the run up to Christmas.
• At the same time, 20 new towns and cities, as well as festive attractions like Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, are now live with EE’s 5G+ connectivity as its rapid rollout surpasses 44 million people.
• 5G+ is EE’s most advanced and reliable network technology and is available on all EE pay monthly handset plans, as well as its Full Works and All Rounder SIM-only plans.

More than half a million EE customers across the UK have received a boost to their mobile connectivity in time for Christmas, after the operator gifted 5G+ access to customers with compatible smartphones ¹.

As part of its latest network rollout, 20 new towns and cities are now also live with 5G+ ahead of the busy festive season – benefiting a further 1.6 million people.

With new research ² showing the most common time for people in the UK to start their festive shopping is in mid-to-late November, EE is making it easier for the nation to prepare for the Christmas holidays – whether it’s buying presents and groceries online while on the move or staying connected to family and friends while exploring festive events in towns and cities across the UK.

As the UK’s most advanced mobile technology, 5G+ delivers a stronger, more reliable mobile signal - especially in busy places like high streets and city centres where there is high demand for mobile connectivity. 5G+ also provides improved download and upload speeds so customers can video call, livestream and use social media without interruptions or buffering – perfect for helping people share their special festive experiences with loved ones.

Alongside enabling more customers to access its 5G+ network, EE is continuing to expand its coverage footprint at unprecedented speed and scale. Just over a year on from launch, EE has made 5G+ available to more than 44 million people (equivalent to 66% of the entire UK population), surpassing its original coverage target by five months. ³

5G+ on EE is now available in all the UK’s major cities and most populous towns, including those with Christmas markets and festive attractions such as Bath, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, York, Belfast and London. It has also been deployed at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland which, as the UK’s largest outdoor Christmas market, attracts around 3 million visitors over the festive period.

EE’s long-term plan will see 99% of the UK population get 5G+ connectivity by Spring 2030. As part of the next phase of its rollout, EE has made 5G+ available in 20 new locations across the UK in the run up to Christmas, with a total population of more than 1.6 million people. These locations include:

1. Ballymena

2. Burton-on-Trent

3. Chelmsford

4. Dewsbury

5. Ellesmere Port

6. Gateshead

7. Greenock

8. Hamilton

9. Hartlepool

10. Hatfield

11. Hereford

12. Londonderry

13. Newark

14. Oldham

15. Rochdale

16. Solihull

17. Stafford

18. Stevenage

19. Tamworth

20. Warwick

“This time of year is all about connecting with the people and things we care about most. With millions of people travelling to visit family, heading to the high street for their gifts, and enjoying the best festive events the UK has to offer, we’re expanding EE’s 5G+ network so the nation can benefit from its high capacity, ultra-reliable connectivity and stay connected to what matters to them this Christmas,” said Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT Group.

One of the additional benefits of 5G+ technology is the ability for operators to use network slicing to deliver a guaranteed quality of experience and offer customers – both consumers and businesses - unique connected experiences. Several high-profile network slicing trials have been completed on EE’s 5G+ network at major events in the last year, including Belfast Christmas market, Sail GP in Portsmouth and England men’s and women’s football matches at Wembley Stadium.

5G+ is currently available on all EE pay monthly handset plans, as well as its Full Works and All Rounder SIM-only plans. With more than 15% of all EE pay monthly customers now accessing 5G+, millions of people in the UK are now benefiting every day from the enhanced network performance it offers.

¹ More than 500,000 EE customers who took out a pay monthly handset plan between September 2024 and March 2025 have been given access to EE’s 5G+ network. A full list of 5G+ compatible smartphones and devices can be found here: www.ee.co.uk/help/mobile/manage-use/using-phone-features/5G-plus

² According to a survey by Opinium of 2,000 UK adults in September 2025, which found that 78% of shoppers have started buying gifts at least one month before Christmas.

³ Original coverage target was to make 5G+ connectivity on EE available to more than 41 million people by spring 2026 (equivalent to 60% of the UK population). At the time of writing EE has delivered 5G+ to 66% of the UK population, equal to more than 44 million people.

Photo credit: Brian Morrison

About EE

EE is the UK’s best network, offering superfast mobile and broadband connection to millions across the UK. With an ambition to be the country’s most trusted connector of people, EE’s network and services keep consumers connected and entertained.

EE’s 4G, 5G and 5GSA speeds cover more than 90% of the UK, while EE’s super reliable broadband is available at more than 99% of UK premises, with guaranteed speeds to keep people streaming, gaming, watching TV and connecting to the things that matter most.

EE’s mobile network continues to receive extensive recognition including UK’s best overall network by RootMetrics® every year since 2014, as well as being named Best Network for Consumers at the Mobile Industry Awards for the last four years since 2022.

EE is committed to offering first class service in the industry and has nearly 400 stores across the UK. In 2023, EE launched its new experiential retail strategy opening its flagship EE Studio and Experience stores nationwide. The innovative approach to retail in the telco industry has seen EE receive multiple awards of recognition including Retailer of the Year at the Mobile Industry Awards in 2024 and 2025, and Best New Store for the EE Studio at the Retail Week Awards in 2024.

EE remains the only mobile provider to answer 100% of customer calls in the UK and Ireland and was recognised for putting people and culture at the heart of the company at the Cnect Wales Awards in 2025.

EE is part of BT Group’s Consumer business unit which provides products and services to all of BT’s consumer customers in the UK.

BT Group is the UK’s leading provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications and related secure digital products, solutions and services.

BT Group consists of four customer-facing units: Consumer serves individuals and families in the UK; Business covers companies and public services in the UK; International serves multinational organisations headquartered outside the UK and overseas public sector customers; Openreach is an independently governed, wholly owned subsidiary wholesaling fixed access infrastructure services to its customers – over 700 communications providers across the UK.

British Telecommunications plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

For more information, visit www.bt.com/about