EE hooks up unconnected Welsh village to 4G

EE has installed a 4G mast in the Machno Valley and says it is now the first operator to deliver a reliable signal to the rural Welsh village of Penmachno.

The 600 residents were part of the estimated four per cent of the UK without dependable mobile coverage from any operator.

The Penmachno deployment is part of EE’s wider rural connectivity programme. The village is surrounded by farmland, forest and mountain bike trails. The lack of mobile coverage had been cited as a safety concern where there had previously been no way to contact emergency services.

EE says it has invested in more than 1,800 rural locations across the UK over the past five years. In Wales, EE said reliable mobile signal now covers more than 90 per cent of the country’s landmass.

The Home Office’s Emergency Services Network (ESN) is providing mobile coverage for the emergency services in some of the most rural and remote parts of Great Britain. ESN will enable fast, safe and secure voice, video and data across the 4G network, giving first responders immediate access to life-saving data, images and information in live situations and emergencies on the frontline.

There will be a total of 20,840 new and upgraded sites to facilitate the coverage needed for ESN across Great Britain.

This will include the current EE network of 19,795 existing sites which have been updated, as well as the construction of 1,045 new 4G masts (figures correct as of January 2026).

Of the 1,045 new masts being built, 753 will be built by EE to support the existing network. The Home Office is also building 292 additional masts, known as the Extended Area Service (EAS). EAS is a critical part of ESN and will supplement EE’s ESN coverage, ensuring maximum emergency service coverage in hard-to-reach areas.