EE to offer rural homes first taste of superfast broadband via antenna

Homeowners in rural Lancashire will be welcoming news that EE is rolling out 4G broadband service to around 8,000 users in the region.

Until now, these homes could only access broadband at speeds of up to 10Mbps. Now, through EE’s 4G network, they could be reaching speeds of around 100Mbps, if trials in Cumbria generated accurate results.

The service is being offered to rural homes that have not yet been connected to fixed line broadband. The alternative service will be available via some extra hardware, including a 4GEE Home Router and an antenna, which will have to be professionally installed. However, this is all being offered as part of the deal to customers keen to improve their broadband connection.

The antenna allows homes to connect to the EE 4G network, which covers more than 99 per cent of UK homes, across some 90 per cent of the British land mass.

EE’s managing director of marketing, Max Taylor, explained: “As our network continues to expand into some of the most remote parts of the UK, we’ve seen the amazing impact that 4G connectivity can have on rural communities.

“Our newest 4G home broadband router and antenna takes this one step further, ensuring thousands of families in rural areas across the UK could enjoy the benefits of superfast broadband.”

Following the trials of the antenna technology, EE claims some 580,000 rural homes could eventually be connected to superfast broadband this way.