30 UK towns which will get massive 5G+ upgrades this summer
EE has expanded its 5G+ network across more than 30 UK towns and switched the technology on at more than 25 major events this summer. The upgrades take its most reliable mobile coverage to 75% of the UK population.
The operator described the rollout as a free connectivity boost aimed at market towns, seaside resorts and tourist destinations ahead of the busy summer period.
Customer usage of 5G+ rose by more than 11% between March and April, and EE said it is expanding coverage to keep pace with that demand.
The company positions 5G+ as its most powerful form of 5G, built to deliver stronger mobile internet connections, faster download and upload speeds and improved video calling in crowded locations and at peak times.
The towns gaining the boost includes:
- Ballynahinch
- Blackpool
- Blackwood
- Bournemouth
- Canvey Island
- Chepstow
- Chester-le-Street
- Coleraine
- Dawlish
- Dumbarton
- East Kilbride
- Eastleigh
- Falkirk
- Flint
- Hebden Bridge
- Holywell
- Lisburn
- Monmouth
- Motherwell
- Newport on the Isle of Wight
- Pontypridd
- Porthcawl
- Rhyl
- Risca
- Roslin
- St Ives in Cambridgeshire
- Stroud
- Tonypandy
- Torquay
- Weston-super-Mare
- Whitehaven
- Whitley Bay
- Winchester
Event upgrades
Alongside the town upgrades, EE confirmed it will run 5G+ at more than 25 of the UK’s biggest events this summer, spanning sport, music, arts, culture and food.
The list includes BST Hyde Park, the Isle of Wight Festival, Reading and Leeds Festival, the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
EE deploys 5G+ on temporary mobile sites at festivals so attendees keep a usable signal even when thousands of people try to call, message and stream at once.
It will also cover regional showcases, including the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival in Kiltarlity, the Devon County Show and the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells, where it has installed permanent 5G+ for year-round performance.
Greg McCall, Chief Security and Networks Officer at BT, which connects EE, BT and Plusnet customers, said staying connected as town centres and tourist hotspots get busier has never been more important, and that switching to 5G+ gives customers a more dependable connection whether they are video-calling from a festival crowd or shopping on the high street.
He added that EE remains on track to bring 5G+ to 99% of the UK population by the end of March 2030.
EE is also rolling out ARC, or Advanced RAN Coordination, as part of BT’s £40 billion network investment this decade. ARC lets nearby mobile sites share capacity in real time and lifts network performance, particularly download speeds, by up to 20% without the need for new masts.
The technology is already live in Edinburgh, Manchester and London, and now covers the busiest areas of Liverpool, Sheffield, Cardiff, Glasgow, Newcastle and Leeds in what EE calls a UK-first rollout.
All EE 5G customers benefit from ARC, though 5G+ users see the biggest gains. EE launched a nationwide advertising campaign today to promote the changes, and customers can check local availability through the EE coverage checker.
