Everything Everywhere launches Smart Signal Sharing – the final phase of the ‘big switch-on’

Everything Everywhere, the UK’s biggest communications company, has completed the final stage of the ‘big switch-on’ – Orange and T-Mobile’s signal sharing project. Smart Signal Sharing will mean that if a customer’s smartphone, tablet or dongle 3G signal starts to fade, it will automatically and seamlessly prioritise signal from the other network. This means customers will get access to fast, uninterrupted 3G in more places, more of the time.

Olaf Swantee, CEO of Everything Everywhere, said:

“Smart Signal Sharing marks the completion of the Orange and T-Mobile signal integration project, which provides our 27.5million customers with the widest 2G and 3G coverage available in Britain today. The launch is yet another proofpoint to our commitment to provide our customers with the best network in the UK – now and in the future.

Our continued investment into the network, including the launch of 50% faster 3G speeds through HSPA+, allows our customers to access the internet, social networks or download emails faster in more places than ever before.”

The final stage of the switch on ensures that if a customer’s 3G signal drops to a point at which performance may be impacted – around one bar of signal – their device will automatically switch to available 3G signal on either network.

If no 3G coverage is available, all Orange and T-Mobile devices will seamlessly switch to 2G signal and back on to 3G when either network comes back into range – even if a customer is downloading a page on the internet.

Smart Signal Sharing has been rolled out to all Orange and T-Mobile customers. Customer charges remain the same when using the other network’s signal.

In November 2011, Everything Everywhere announced an investment of £1.5bn into the network, shortly followed by the announcement of the roll out of HSPA+ 21, or 3.5G, which now reaches 95% of the UK population.

Subject to regulatory approval from Ofcom, Everything Everywhere is ready and able to begin the roll out of 4G on a small scale by the end of the year as we posted previously.

Posted by: James