EE to push 4G to 95 per cent of UK's landmass by 2020

EE call centre jobs also being brought back onshore, promises EE

BT-owned mobile operator EE has promised to boost 4G connectivity on its network from 60 per cent of the UK land mass to 95 per cent by 2020 - with a big jump over to 92 per cent by the end of 2017.

The investment will require the construction of more than 750 new sites, with a specific focus on so-called rural 'not-spots'.

The operator said that this major investment in 4G coverage goes "beyond what the government wants". Targets set by the government agreed that EE, and other major mobile networks, will cover 90 per cent of the UK landmass with access to 2G voice calls by the end of 2017.

This announcement follows recent research from OpenSignal that found that users on EE are able to receive an LTE signal only 60.6 per cent of the time.

EE CEO Marc Allera, who recently replaced Olaf Swantee after BT took over EE, said: "For the average smartphone user, not-spots aren't tolerated and 2G doesn't deliver what they need. Customers want 4G speeds everywhere they go, and mobile operators are too used to saying 'no' to new coverage.

"Today, I'm saying 'yes', with an ambition to go further than any operator has ever gone, and with the ultimate aim of covering the whole UK with 4G."

EE has already switched on 4G services in distant regions like Shetland and the Isles of Scilly, which are almost 1,000 miles apart, using BT's fibre broadband links.

The firm also announced on Monday that it will bring all customer service jobs to the UK and Ireland by the end of the year. This will create 600 new jobs across the country, including more than 100 in Merthyr, North Tyneside, Plymouth and Ireland by June.

EE was fined £1m by communications watchdog Ofcom over customer service failings in 2015. "We're bringing 100 per cent of our EE customer service calls back to the UK and Ireland. We've already seen a major boost in customer satisfaction by creating 1,400 new service jobs here since 2014," said Allera.

"Now we're creating 600 additional jobs to handle all EE customer service calls in the UK and Ireland by the end of this year, providing the best possible experience for our customers."