The new EE network change that could get your electricity back faster
Key Points
- BT has launched Mission Boost, a service giving critical infrastructure organisations priority access to EE's 4G and 5G networks during congestion.
- UK Power Networks, serving London, the South East and East of England, is one of the first adopters.
- The electricity distributor said the service will help it stay in contact with field staff during outages and support faster power restoration.
- Mission Boost is the first capability in BT's new MissionNet portfolio for sectors including national infrastructure, responders and transport.
- BT is investing £40 billion between 2020 and 2030 to upgrade its fixed and mobile networks.
BT has launched a service that gives organisations running critical infrastructure priority access to EE’s mobile network during congestion.
Electricity distributor UK Power Networks is among the first to sign up for the servicee to support faster power restoration during outages.
The service, called Mission Boost, launched on Thursday (11 June) and gives organisations prioritised access across national 4G and 5G mobile infrastructure during periods of network congestion or high demand.
BT said the capability strengthens situational awareness on the ground and helps organisations maintain critical communications wherever they operate in the UK.
UK Power Networks, which owns and operates electricity infrastructure serving London, the South East and East of England, is one of the first organisations to adopt the prioritisation capabilities.
Kieran Coughlan, Director of Asset Management at UK Power Networks, said the partnership will deliver greater resilience for the company’s customers.
“EE’s multi-layer resilience will enable us to stay in contact with key field staff even when the communications network is congested, and access tools that helps us understand the health of the cellular network to support power restoration in event of an outage,” Coughlan said.
“These added capabilities are fundamental to how we keep power flowing safely and reliably. As an early adopter it will enable us to be better prepared to serve the country, support the transition to net zero and meet the evolving regulatory demands of the UK energy sector.”
Mobile networks can become congested during major incidents such as storms and widespread power cuts, when large numbers of people in an affected area attempt to use their phones at the same time.
Prioritisation means engineers and control rooms at organisations using the service can keep communicating during these periods.
Part of a wider BT push into critical services
Mission Boost is the first capability in BT’s new MissionNet portfolio, which brings together connectivity, cloud infrastructure and security solutions alongside an ecosystem of partners.
BT said it designed the portfolio to support sectors including critical national infrastructure, emergency responders and transport, where connectivity is essential to maintaining safety, resilience and service delivery.
Faisal Mahomed, Managing Director of Critical Communications at BT, said organisations delivering critical services are operating in increasingly complex environments where reliable communications are a must.
“Mission Boost is designed to provide the connectivity and capabilities that organisations need to operate with confidence, and marks an important first step as BT looks to roll out a range of enhanced new mission-critical services,” Mahomed said.
Over time, BT said MissionNet will incorporate additional capabilities ranging from contact management to applications such as push-to-talk, supported by a growing ecosystem of partners designed to integrate into operational environments.
Mission Boost runs over EE’s commercial mobile network.
