EE has announced that its 5G+ Standalone (5G+) mobile network can now reach more than 80% of the UK's population, up from 78% in August 2026. The milestone represents continued progress towards the operator's target of delivering 5G+ connectivity to 99% of the UK population by the end of March 2030, though BT has not set a geographic coverage target for the rollout.

According to ISPreview, the latest locations to benefit from EE's 5G+ expansion include Bicester, Chester and Durham in England; Portrush and Strabane in Northern Ireland; Neath and Penarth in Wales; and Greenock, Alexandria and parts of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park in Scotland.

What is 5G+ and Why It Matters

5G+ refers to 5G Standalone (SA) technology—a pure end-to-end 5G network architecture. Earlier 5G deployments were Non-Standalone (NSA), which relied partly on legacy 4G systems to function.

5G+ networks can deliver:

  • Ultra-low latency times
  • Greater energy efficiency
  • Better mobile broadband speeds, particularly for uploads
  • Network slicing
  • Improved support for Internet of Things (IoT) devices
  • Increased reliability and security

Coverage does not guarantee consistent throughput in all areas.

BT Trials AI-RAN Technology with Nokia and NVIDIA

Alongside the coverage announcement, BT revealed plans to trial AI-RAN (Artificial Intelligence Radio Access Network) technology on EE's live network. The trial will be conducted in partnership with Nokia and NVIDIA, with the first AI-RAN sites expected to come online in Birmingham during 2027.

Greg McCall, Chief Security and Networks Officer at BT Group, said: "We're seeing real momentum behind 5G+ as we progress towards our goal of 99% population coverage by 2030 – both in the pace of our rollout and in the amount of data customers are now using over the network. But reaching more people is only part of the story. We're continuing to invest in making the network smarter and more responsive too, exploring technologies such as AI-RAN that could help us stay ahead of growing demand and deliver an even better experience for customers."

AI technologies are expected to play a significant role in future 6G deployments from around 2030 onwards.

Microwave Backhaul Capacity Expansion

BT announced a new benchmark for microwave link capacity, successfully delivering its first 2.8 Gbps microwave link, 40% more capacity than its previous 2 Gbps benchmark.

Microwave links play an important role in connecting mobile sites into the wider network, particularly where fibre optic lines may not be viable (for example, in certain remote rural or semi-rural locations).

According to Greg McCall, BT is continuing to invest in making the network smarter and more responsive as customer data demand grows.

Coverage Timeline and Future Targets

EE's 99% population coverage target by the end of March 2030 remains the operator's stated goal for 5G+ deployment. The announcement does not provide a geographic coverage target alongside the population-based metric.