Major U.K. carrier EE now covers more than half of its customer base with 4G service, doubling its number of 4G customers over the past year, the company said in its third quarter earnings report Wednesday.
EE’s 4G services now cover 12.6 million subscribers, a number the carrier said is expected to grow to 14 million by the end of this year.
The carrier reported 147,000 net subscriber additions and a minimal 1.1 percent churn, resulting in a customer base growth rate of more than three percent year over year. EE also reported seven percent growth year over year in its B2B customer base, and a 40 percent year over year growth rate in its corporate 4G customer base.
“We’ve seen strong commercial momentum as business and consumers embrace the benefits of our network, with more than two-thirds of postpaid mobile customers now using 4G, providing a solid platform for the future,” said EE chief financial officer Neal Milsom. “Our broader portfolio has boosted total connections to 31.3m. Our new Connected products range, combined with a mix of premium and low cost 4G devices, now offer more choice than ever for our customers.”
Despite these gains, the company reported just $2.3 billion (1.5 billion British pounds) in operating revenue for the quarter, marking a slight year-over-year decline of 0.6 percent including regulatory impacts. Without regulatory impacts, operating revenue crept up by just 1.2 percent year over year.
The company said it plans to continue to drive coverage improvements with innovation, including the ongoing rollout of 4G+ starting in central London. EE said its new Wi-Fi calling service, which was launched in the first quarter 2015, has already gained 1.7 million activated users and facilitated 125 million calls.