City centre mobile reception: EE says a fix is on the way

Mobile network EE says it is working to restore full coverage to Oxford city centre, following several weeks of degraded service.

The Oxford Clarion has been contacted by several readers who noticed a sharp drop-off in EE reception in the city centre, saying that they are no longer able to get a reliable data connection.

Reports sourced from cellmapper.net show that the mast on the Clarendon Centre was decommissioned in mid-February. It had been in operation since 2020. The Clarendon Centre is currently being redeveloped as a mix of retail, student accommodation, and research space, after its original retail purpose was largely usurped by the new Westgate development.

EE confirmed to the Oxford Clarion that the cell tower has been removed.

“EE coverage in the centre of Oxford is currently being impacted due to a landowner informing us that one of our masts would have to be removed at the end of January 2024. This was requested by the landowner.”

They say that a new location is being sought – but that they don’t yet have a date for when a replacement might come into operation.

“Our engineers began looking for a new location as soon as we were made aware that our equipment had to be removed. We have located several areas for a new mast and are currently conducting surveys to make sure the locations will be suitable for the equipment. Pending a positive outcome following that work, we can complete the legal and planning work and start construction of a new mast. Due to the range of parties involved - including landowners and planning officials - it's difficult to give an exact timeframe for getting a new mast activated, but efforts will be made to get the work completed as soon as possible.”