EE sticks a mast in the sky to cover biking event


Yesterday things weren’t going so well for EE. They had problems routing calls to other networks all day and it seemed to be causing quite a bit of grief for their customers.

They can, however, boast about their coverage. They’re aiming for 95% 4G coverage by 2020, and have cranked up the 4G coverage by 25% in the last year alone. More than 900 sites across the UK to support up to 100Mbps downloads. However, there’s still areas where coverage needs work, and at the weekend EE used a “Helikite” to stick a GSM mast in the air.


You may have seen us cover this “air mast” technology in the past, but this is the first time it’s been used live. It helped to connect the Red Bull ‘Foxhunt’ event, which is an all-female downhill mountain biking event in Wales. Yes, Wales – that place where many, many masts are needed to cover and reach customers.

The “air mast” boosted the 4G coverage and delivered free WiFi for the competitors and fans. Some 200 riders play the “hounds”, whilst a professional racer, in this case Katy Winton, is the fox.

Katy Winton is a fox

You can get the full details below. They also used the technology to broadcast live 360 degree footage of the event too.