EE flies a 4G mast in helium balloon

EE, which is now part of BT Group, deplyed a Helikite ‘air mast’ at a Red Bull Foxhunt downhill mountain biking event in Wales. Specifically, the EE air mast was flown 300 feet above Machynlleth, on the edge of Snowdonia National Park, to boost 4G coverage and capacity for the Red Bull mountain biking event.

EE claims this was the first time the balloon technology has been used to provide mobile connectivity to consumers.

EE also noted that it recently upgraded more than 900 sites across the UK to support the latest smartphones with Cat 12 and Cat 16 capabilities, increasing the maximum downlink rate from 50Mbps to up to 100Mbps.