EE Announces Next Phase in Open Source Networks with Leading UK Innovator

UK’s largest mobile operator partnering with Surrey-based Lime Micro and London-headquartered Canonical, the founders of Ubuntu, to drive innovation and solve rural coverage challenge
Open source project set to boost connectivity in Scottish Highlands and Island
University of Highlands and Islands first to access world-leading open source network development kits

London, UK, April 26th, 2016 – EE, the UK’s largest mobile operator and part of BT, is partnering with Lime Micro and Canonical, two of the UK’s leading open source technology innovators, to launch a fully programmable network capability and change the way mobile networks are built in the future.

The solution is built on Surrey-based Lime’s ‘network in a box’ solution, which developers can configure by software to provide any wireless service, including 4G and WiFi. The configuration software, available through the Snappy Ubuntu Core stores, will allow developers to create new applications and services for a mobile network.

EE will deploy the innovative solutions created by this partnership as part of its work with the Telecom Infrastructure Project, with the first project committed to connect an area of the Scottish Highlands and Islands in 2016. To bring together the best innovators in the UK and create a bespoke solution for the area, EE and Lime are providing the programmable development kit to the University of Highlands and Islands.

Professor Clive Mulholland, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of the Highlands and Islands, said: “We are excited to be working with EE to explore the opportunities this development can offer to the university and the communities we serve. The technology could be particularly relevant to our work in remote and rural health and digital innovation. As a regional university, we aim to have a transformational impact on the Highlands and Islands so we welcome any initiatives which have the potential to benefit our area.”

Mansoor Hanif, Director of Radio Networks at EE:

“Apps and smartphones revolutionised the mobile experience and this could have the same impact on the network – we’re allowing anyone to build an app that can introduce a new service or a new capability to a mobile network. That could be to connect a rural area of the UK for the first time, or to be part of designing how 5G works. This type of innovation is vital to evolving wireless networks, and we’re making sure that the UK is at the forefront of that.”

The Lime Micro programmable network in a box, LimeSDR, http://www.limeSDR.org will be available initially through a crowd funding campaign launching later this month and will allow developers to pre-order the LimeSDR boards at a low cost. The solution is a low cost, app-enabled software defined radio (SDR) basestation that can be programmed to support any type of wireless standard – putting significant power at the disposal of anyone who wants to innovate in the world of wireless.

Ebrahim Bushehri, CEO of Lime Micro said: “We are delighted to be working with EE to bring our Radio Access Network solution to remote areas of the UK, and to start on a journey that will change how mobile networks are built, and who drives the innovation in this industry. We’re committed to making low cost open source hardware that is easy to access and program, to achieve the goal of universal wireless connectivity.”

Maarten Ectors, VP of IoT at Canonical, said: “We see the collaboration between EE, Lime Micro and Canonical as a game changer for the telecom industry and wireless communication in general.”

About EE

EE, part of the BT Group, is the largest and most advanced mobile communications company in Britain, delivering mobile and fixed communications services to consumers and businesses. EE has approximately 14,000 employees and 550 retail stores, and serves more than 31 million connections across its mobile, fixed and wholesale networks.

EE runs the UK’s biggest and fastest mobile network, it pioneered the UK’s first superfast 4G mobile service in October 2012 and is the first European operator to surpass 14million 4G customers. EE’s 4G coverage today reaches more than 95% of the UK population, with double speed 4G reaching 80%. EE’s 2G coverage reaches 99% of the population while 3G reaches 98%.

In the last few years, EE has received extensive independent recognition, including being ranked the UK’s best overall network by RootMetrics®; Best Network at the 2014 and 2015 Mobile News Awards; Best Network for Business and Best Consumer Network at the 2014 & 2015 Mobile Industry Awards; Best Network at the 2014 & 2015 Mobile Choice Consumer Awards, and Best Network at the What Mobile Awards 2014; Fastest Network at the 2014 and 2016 uSwitch Mobile Awards; Best Mobile Network at the 2014 Recombu Awards, and Winners of Best Connected Gadget at the Mobile Choice Consumer Awards 2015.