EE and O2 have announced further 5G coverage in towns and cities, but so far only EE has disclosed the criteria it uses to consider a location covered.
EE and O2 announced new locations: On 14 January 2021, EE announced it now covers 125 UK locations with 5G. On the same day, O2 claimed coverage of 150 towns and cities. Three covered 154 towns and cities as of 30 November 2020, and Vodafone covered 54 locations as of October 2020.
EE discloses its coverage criteria and calls for others to do the same: Until now, operators have not given the criteria used to say a location is covered with 5G. In announcing the latest towns and cities, EE has disclosed its approach, saying it announces places with a minimum population of 10,000 people, within which it must be delivering 5G to at least a third of the population as well as the centre of the location. The operator stressed the importance of making credible claims to avoid confusion for consumers.
Ofcom is yet to assess 5G coverage: In its latest Connected Nations report, the regulator did not indicate how much of the country is covered with 5G, and noted that the data provided by operators indicating there are 3,000 5G base stations may include double counts, as MNOs may have used the same physical structure for some sites. EE is understood to be working with them to monitor coverage.
