In the remote countryside of the UK, being stranded with a drained battery or a flat tire can be more than an inconvenience, it can render the motorist invisible to roadside service because of connectivity issues.
But the AA, the United Kingdom’s leading breakdown service, recently boosted its fleet’s connectivity by installing in all of its 2,700 vans Ericsson’s R1900 4G/5G router. Ericsson is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company.
The routers were initially installed in 350 vans, in a trial run, but following a period of successful testing, all 2,700 patrol vehicles now have the new routers, and connectivity has improved threefold, according to a recent press release by both companies.
“Since implementing Ericsson’s flagship in-vehicle router, roadside patrols have been able to resolve breakdowns faster and attend more vehicles— two key metrics that AA customers expect. This important work has contributed a meaningful increase in both employee and customer satisfaction survey scores.”
Paul McHugh, area director for Ericsson UK, said, “The unpredictable nature of emergency response means speed and attention to detail is critical to satisfying customers and technicians alike. Strong, if not exceptional, coverage country-wide needs to be guaranteed for mobile devices, which helps engineers provide the desired quality of service. The AA exemplifies the positive outcomes that can be achieved for all parties involved by extending the core toolbox and tapping into next-generation connectivity.”
The vans previously utilized SIM-only, 3G/4G networks, but with the upgrade, connectivity has increased to 98.5%, from 89%. Ofcom, the regulator and competition authority for the UK’s communications services lists its “connected countries standard” at 93.1%.
The UK is progressing towards more connectivity across the board, according to Ofcom, and while progress is being made at a modest pace, improvements are nonetheless on the way in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with particular focus on remote areas. Ofcom’s latest report on the state of connectivity across the UK, “Connected Nations, UK Report 2024,” published on Dec. 5, 2024, details some of the gains that have been made.
“The expansion of 5G landmass coverage by individual MNOs (mobile network operator) are progressing, albeit at a modest pace. Currently, coverage ranges from 15% to 42% of the UK landmass at the High Confidence Level, and from 8% to 35 % at the Very High Confidence Level. This marks an increase from last year’s figures of 11% to 38% and 6% to 26% respectively. BT/EE (leading telecommunications companies in the UK that offer broadband, TV, landline and mobile phone services) leads in 5G landmass coverage in the UK, reaching around 35% (at Very High Confidence) and 42% (at High Confidence).”
“These increases in coverage have been driven by additional 5G deployments, with over 23,100 5G sites now operational across roughly 81,000 sites in the UK, up from around 18,500 reported in 2023 (c.24% increase). 84% of these sites are in England, 9% in Scotland, 4% in Wales and 2% in Northern Ireland, consistent with previous years and mirroring the national distribution of mobile traffic. Urban areas have seen the most significant deployment with 42% of sites in urban areas now equipped with 5G, compared to 29% in suburban areas and 16% in rural regions, an increase from 34% for urban, 20% for suburban and 10% for rural reported last year.”
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