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Sure customers in Guernsey benefit from more widespread 4G coverage than residents of the UK.
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) in the UK last week released its ‘Connected Future’ report which revealed that the UK ranks 56th in the world for 4G availability, below countries such as Hungary, Peru and Mexico, with a 4G mobile network only currently accessible in 60% of the country.
Sure’s 4G network, which was introduced in 2015, currently provides coverage for around 95% of the population, a figure which would place Guernsey third in the rankings for 4G availability if the island was included in the OpenSignal State of LTE Report.
The findings come at a time when Sure is continuing to invest in an extensive innovation programme to introduce different technologies to enhance the strength and resilience of its mobile network.
A project to enable a new mobile frequency which will result in better indoor coverage for Sure customers has recently been completed. Following the analogue TV switch off additional low band frequencies became available for mobile operators. Sure took this opportunity to increase the network reach even further by using this frequency to also improve the quality of mobile service available outdoors, providing a better overall user experience.
The local telecoms company is also implementing a programme of upgrades which will result in faster download and upload speeds and more available bandwidth on Sure’s 4G network. Multiple LTE advanced (4G+) mobile sites are now live and the roll out will continue throughout 2017. Average speeds that our customers are achieving on their devices will continue to improve from the current average of over 35 Mb/s. The top speed achieved in test conditions is an incredibly fast 219 Mb/s.
Sure’s head of product, Mike Fawkner-Corbett, said: “The recent issues with the undersea cable network in the Channel Islands have shown how vital resilience is and, thanks to Sure’s extensive undersea cable network which connects us to the UK and France, our customers’ services weren’t majorly affected. However, we are always looking at ways to improve our network and are constantly investing in new technology to enhance the services we offer our customers.
“The investment we’ve already made and the launch of our first LTE advanced mobile sites, as well as the roll out of further sites in the near future, are designed to improve our network breadth and depth and give our customers a mobile experience that is amongst the best in the world.”
