Everything Everywhere to invest 1.5 billion on network improvements

Everything Everywhere CEO Olaf Swantee has today announced that the network is to invest £1.5 billion on the network over the next three years.

The scheme will see the operator further integrate its T-Mobile and Orange networks, upgrade existing network technology and start preparations for the role out of 4G technology.

Everything Everywhere has been involved in 4G trial with BT Wholesale since September providing the technology to consumers in rural areas of the UK.

EE chief technical officer Fotis Karonis said the trial had delivered satisfaction rates of over 90 per cent since launch.

“Everything Everywhere is committed to building a world-class 4G network for Britain,” Karonis said.

“We are devoting huge resources – including our 15,000 workforce and significant investments in technology – and already trialing, learning and laying the ground-work so that we are prepared to introduce 4G services as soon as it’s feasible.”

As well as preparing its network for 4G, Swantee (pictured) said EE was in the “final stages” of allowing T-Mobile and Orange customers to use 3G signals from both networks.

This, he said would improve the quality of the operator’s service which has seen its 22 million customers use 326 billion kilobytes of data, make 1.33 billion calls, and send 5.5 billion texts using an alternative network to their own over the last year.

In a quote to the best investment newsletter I’ve seen in a while, Swantee said: “With mobile data increasing 250 per cent over the past two years, we are making these investments so we can deliver on our ambition to provide the UK’s most reliable, biggest and best mobile data network.

“We believe that the UK requires a 21st century infrastructure and are committed to rolling out 4G as soon as possible to support growing data use, connect parts of the country with little or no mobile broadband, and drive economic growth.”

Posted by: James