EE brings 4G to 14 more towns and 18 airports

EE is to further expand its 4G network coverage in 14 more towns and cities in the UK as well as in airports and on rail routes. The operator has also committed to improving phone call quality.

The 14 new locations to gain access to 4G are Belper, Cannock, Ellesmere Port, Grangemouth, Harrogate, Hartlepool, Keighley, Motherwell, Paignton, Richmond (North Yorkshire), Skelmersdale, Torquay and Widnes.

EE said that the latest switch on brought the total number of towns and cities covered by EE's 4G network to 174 and now covered 70 per cent of the population.

The operator is also bringing its network to rail routes this year. The first stage of the rail expansion project will make its 4G network available along the line from London Euston to Birmingham New Street; stage two will extend north to Manchester and Liverpool, and south from London Victoria to Brighton; stage three will reach Glasgow by the end of the year. The company added this coverage would expand over time.

EE is also currently building out its 4G network on the Eurotunnel, which it slated for completion by this summer.

The operator has turned on its 4G network at a number of UK airports. Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool John Lennon, Bristol, Nottingham East Midlands, Leeds-Bradford, Belfast International, George Best Belfast City, Robin Hood and Blackpool airports all now have 4G available for travellers to use.

Olaf Swantee, chief executive of EE said the firm's network now provided twice as much coverage as any other provider.

"More towns right across the UK now have access to the country's biggest 4G network, and more people can use it where they need it most in airports and on the busiest commuter routes," he said.

The firm said it was investing in improving call quality for people travelling across the country. EE has pledged to spend 275 million on call quality and innovation this year.

"Our network investment in 2014 is not just about giving people faster mobile data phone calls are still an incredibly important part of the mobile experience, and we're investing to ensure that people travelling all over the UK can make phone calls in more places and with better quality than ever before," Swantee added.

News of the expansion comes as EE narrowed its losses over the last twelve months.