UPDATED · News · 9 Jun 2026 · Daniel Reid
The EE 5G+ network has had its biggest upgrade of the year, and the result is faster, more reliable mobile data for tens of millions of people without a single new mast going up in many of the busiest areas. Through the first half of 2026, EE has pushed its most advanced 5G to more than 50 million people across over 610 towns and cities, layered in a world-first piece of radio technology, and lined up coverage for the UK’s biggest summer events. For UK buyers choosing a network, or wondering whether their current signal is about to improve, this is the upgrade that actually moves the needle.
- EE 5G+ now reaches more than 50 million people across 610-plus towns and cities, beating its 41 million spring target.
- Advanced RAN Coordination (ARC), built with Ericsson, lifts performance by about 20 per cent with no new masts.
- EE has reallocated 2.1GHz spectrum across 4,000-plus sites and launched five carrier aggregation, a UK first.
- Monthly 5G+ usage has jumped 54 per cent in six months, prompting the capacity push.
- 5G+ is being switched on at 25-plus summer events and 30-plus extra towns, with a 99 per cent population target by March 2030.
What the EE 5G+ network upgrade adds in 2026
EE uses the 5G+ badge for its strongest, most reliable form of 5G, built on a standalone core rather than borrowing from the older 4G network. The 2026 push is about three things at once: reach, speed and resilience at the moments demand spikes. Reach has already passed 50 million people, comfortably ahead of the 41 million the operator promised by spring. Speed comes from new spectrum and clever radio coordination. Resilience is the quiet win, keeping data flowing in packed stadiums, festival fields and city centres where ordinary 5G buckles. Greg McCall, Chief Security and Networks Officer at BT Group, summed up the pace, saying “this milestone shows the pace at which we’re building the UK’s most advanced mobile network.”
The reason all of this is happening now is simple: people are using far more mobile data than they were a year ago. EE says monthly 5G+ usage has risen 54 per cent in just six months, the kind of curve that forces a network to add capacity or watch quality slide. Rather than the slow, expensive route of building more masts everywhere, EE has leaned on software and spectrum to squeeze more out of the infrastructure it already owns. That is good news for bills as well as speeds, because capacity added cheaply is less likely to push prices up. If you are weighing EE against rivals, our EE versus Three comparison and the EE versus Vodafone breakdown put these gains in context.
ARC: the world-first trick that boosts speed without new masts
The standout piece of engineering is Advanced RAN Coordination, or ARC, which EE developed with Ericsson and claims to be the first operator globally to run in a live, distributed network. In plain terms, ARC lets nearby mobile sites pair up and pool their spare capacity in real time. When one cell is hammered and a neighbour is quiet, the busy area can borrow strength from next door. EE puts the average gain at around 20 per cent more performance, with more than double the improvement under ideal conditions, and crucially it does all of this without putting up additional masts.
ARC has gone live first on the 5G+ network in London, and by the end of May 2026 EE planned to extend it to Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield. Those are exactly the cities where peak-time congestion bites hardest, so the order of rollout is sensible. The honest caveat is that a 20 per cent average uplift is most visible when the network is under strain; on a quiet street at 7am you will not notice it. The value shows up at the football, on a commuter platform or in a city centre on a Saturday, which is precisely where most people feel their signal fail today.
Spectrum, carrier aggregation and faster downloads
Alongside ARC, EE has done the less glamorous but equally important work of reorganising its airwaves. It has reallocated its 2.1GHz spectrum across more than 4,000 mobile sites, with plans to upgrade roughly 5,000 more, to deliver greater capacity, stronger indoor coverage and better upload speeds. Indoor coverage and uploads are the two things people quietly complain about most, so this is a meaningful, if unflashy, improvement for everyday use.
EE has also become the first UK network to deploy five carrier aggregation, which combines five separate slices of spectrum into one fatter pipe to the handset. The headline result is roughly 10 per cent faster average download speeds for 5G+ customers. None of these numbers will rewrite your day on their own, but stacked together they explain why EE keeps topping independent network rankings. For buyers chasing the fastest possible phone experience, pairing this network with the right handset matters, which is why we keep our best EE iPhone deals roundup current.
From the stage to the seaside: summer events and 30 new towns
The most visible part of the upgrade this summer is event coverage. Under a campaign badged “From the stage to the seaside,” EE is switching on 5G+ at more than 25 major events, including BST Hyde Park, the Isle of Wight Festival, Reading and Leeds, the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Anyone who has tried to send a photo from a festival crowd knows the problem this targets: thousands of phones in one field, all fighting for the same sliver of signal. Temporary capacity and ARC together are meant to keep messages and uploads moving when it matters.
Beyond the events, more than 30 towns across the UK have been given a permanent signal boost ahead of the busy season, and EE has run a successful pilot with Meta to improve mobile video performance. The longer-term goal is the one that should reassure buyers in less central areas: EE is targeting its highest-quality 5G+ connectivity for 99 per cent of the population by the end of March 2030. That is a four-year horizon, not a promise for next week, but it sets a clear direction. Home broadband shoppers should note the same infrastructure feeds EE’s fixed-wireless ambitions, a theme we explore in our UK full-fibre and broadband comparison and the parallel Vodafone 5G home broadband piece.
What it means for your handset and your bill
To benefit from 5G+, you need a compatible handset and a plan that includes it; EE bundles 5G+ access into its current pay-monthly tariffs rather than charging a separate premium. Most flagship phones from the last couple of years support the standalone 5G that 5G+ relies on, including the latest iPhone and Samsung Galaxy lines. If you are buying a new Android handset to make the most of the network, our Samsung Galaxy S26 buying guide walks through the UK pricing and timing.
It is also worth setting these gains against what rivals are doing, because no network now competes on speed alone. Vodafone and O2 are pushing fixed-wireless home broadband and satellite messaging respectively, so the right comparison is the whole package rather than a single download figure. EE’s argument is that its standalone core, ARC and spectrum work give it the most consistent everyday experience, especially in crowded places, and the independent rankings broadly back that up. For a typical UK buyer, the practical takeaway is that all four major networks are now good enough for most tasks in most places, and the real differences show up at the edges: a packed train carriage, a festival field, a rural village or a basement office. Those edges are exactly what this upgrade targets, and they are where you should focus your own coverage checks.
On price, our practical view is that the network gains do not, by themselves, justify rushing to switch. If you are already on EE, the upgrade lands automatically in covered areas at no extra cost, which is the best kind of improvement. If you are on another network and broadly happy with your coverage, the better trigger to move is a genuinely competitive deal rather than the headline technology alone. The exception is heavy data users in the big cities getting ARC first, who will feel the difference at peak times sooner than most. Switching is also easier than it used to be, and our eSIM setup walkthrough covers the move end to end.
Where to check coverage before you commit
Headline coverage figures are national averages, so the only number that matters is the signal at the places you actually spend time. Before you switch or upgrade, run these checks:
- EE coverage checker: enter your home, work and commute postcodes on EE’s official coverage map and look specifically for 5G+, not plain 5G.
- ARC cities first: if you live in London, Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle or Sheffield, you are in line for the peak-time gains soonest.
- Independent rankings: cross-check EE’s claims against independent network reports rather than relying on marketing alone.
- Your handset: confirm your phone supports standalone 5G, the basis of 5G+, before expecting the full benefit.
- Deal versus tech: compare the actual monthly cost and allowance, since the network upgrade is included rather than a paid add-on. Our regional check on EE 5G+ in Brighton shows how local results can vary.
Our verdict on the EE 5G+ rollout
This is one of the more substantive network upgrades we have seen this year, precisely because so much of it is invisible. ARC and the spectrum work add real capacity where congestion is worst, and they do it without the cost and planning battles of new masts, which is the smart way to scale. We would happily recommend EE to heavy data users in the big cities, where the gains arrive first and bite hardest. We would not tell a contented customer on another network to switch on the strength of these numbers alone; let a competitive deal be the deciding factor. As a statement of intent towards 99 per cent coverage by 2030, though, it keeps EE firmly at the front of the UK pack.
| What we like | What we would watch |
|---|---|
| ARC adds about 20 per cent performance with no new masts | Gains are clearest only at peak times and in busy areas |
| Upgrade is included, not a paid add-on, for EE customers | ARC reaches eight cities first, leaving others waiting |
| Strong summer event coverage and a clear 2030 target | 99 per cent coverage is a four-year promise, not immediate |
Reader discussion
Leave a comment
Comments are moderated. Keep it useful, accurate, and on topic.