London’s mobile coverage gets a small cell boost

Shared infrastructure provider Boldyn Networks and mobile operator EE have announced the first deployment in a partnership to boost mobile network capacity across London’s busiest high streets.

Small, low-powered cellular radio units, known as small cells, are being installed at street level to enhance mobile coverage and capacity. The small cells will be hosted on existing Transport for London (TfL) assets such as fibre ducts, lighting columns and bus shelters. This builds on Boldyn and TfL’s 20-year concession agreement to deliver mobile connectivity across the underground transport network.

Powered by new gigabit fibre, the first small cell unit of the project is now live near one of the UK’s busiest stations, King’s Cross. With almost 70 million annual passengers using the transport hub, this can place significant demand on the surrounding mobile networks.

Boldyn and EE are installing a network of small cells in the King’s Cross and Euston area to boost mobile network capacity and will expand this over the next two years to cover high footfall areas across the capital, including Southwark and Westminster.

According to the partners, small cell units can deliver download speeds up to 10 times faster in high-demand areas, reaching up to 300Mbps.

‘Minimal disruption’

With the majority of the fibre ducts needed for the project already in place, the partners say the use of materials such as plastic will be significantly reduced.

James Hope, Director of Mobile Radio Access Networks at EE, said: “Small cells are essential in delivering high-capacity, superfast mobile connectivity to areas where it’s impractical to build larger sites, and by making use of TfL’s existing street infrastructure, we’re able to deploy with minimal disruption even in such a dense, urban environment.”

Theo Blackwell, Chief Digital Officer at the Greater London Authority, added: “This is great news for EE mobile customers, who will benefit from faster mobile network connectivity in bustling areas of the capital. This, coupled with bringing 4G and 5G network access to the London Underground, is all part of our ongoing work to build a better and more prosperous London for everyone.”