EE ranked first by Umlaut Connect in UK benchmarking

Umlaut Connect ranked EE first among UK mobile networks in its independent benchmarking for the eleventh consecutive year, following Umlaut's benchmarking process and the operator's reported performance across the United Kingdom.

EE recorded a Visualization Engine (VE) score of 920, surpassing the prior UK record score of 900 and widening its margin over the operator in second place. Umlaut's analysis placed EE first in each of nine major cities where local performance was analysed and in tests on railways, based on more than 5.7 billion crowdsourced samples, and the report named EE the most reliable network for both voice and data services.

On technical measures, EE launched Advanced Radio Access Network (RAN) Coordination (ARC), a system that let nearby mobile sites share capacity and which produced around 20 percent quicker download speeds and more reliable 5G in busy locations without adding masts. The operator also deployed a new generation of Ericsson Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) units that enabled up to four times greater uplink performance than previously.

Network expansion work included an outdoor small cell estate that now stands at 1,500 units nationwide after more than 500 new installations, with first deployments in Belfast, Bristol, Middlesbrough, Preston and Bolton. EE reported improvements to indoor connectivity across shopping centres, travel hubs and sports and events venues such as Cheltenham Racecourse, and it said its 5G+ coverage doubled this year to reach over 68 percent of the UK population.

EE said it had an ambition to cover 99 percent of the UK population with 5G+ by the end of FY30.