The second and third largest mobile operators in the UK have announced they are to pool their networks to improve the forthcoming roll out of 4G mobile broadband to their customers.
The decision, which analysts believe could save both companies around £1 billion or more, will see the two carriers share their network of around 18,500 masts across the country to enable 98 percent coverage of the population by 2015.
Everything almost everywhere
"This partnership will close the digital divide for millions of people across the country and power the next phase of the smartphone revolution," said Vodafone CEO Guy Laurence.
"It will create two stronger players who will compete with each other and with other operators to bring the benefits of mobile internet services to consumers and businesses across the country.
"This partnership will improve the service that customers receive today and give Britain the 4G networks that it will need tomorrow."
The move follows a full merger by rivals Orange and T-Mobile in the UK to create Everything Everywhere, which became the country's largest operator as a result.
"Exceptional customer demand for the mobile internet has challenged the mobile industry to consider innovative solutions to building a nationwide network that will be fit for our customers in the future and support the products and services that will truly make Britain digital," said O2 CEO Ronan Dunne.
"One physical grid, running independent networks, will mean greater efficiency, fewer site builds, broader coverage and, crucially, investment in innovation and better competition for the customer."
Money saver
According to Ovum analyst Emeke Obiodu, the deal will see both parties saving at least 25 percent of their network costs.
"Considering that Vodafone UK spent £575m in capital expenditure in the year ended March 31 2012, this could lead to savings of over £100m per year, he told Computing.co.uk.
Over the three years from now until 2015, when both parties expect to achieve 98 per cent indoor population coverage across 2G and 3G, the combined potential savings would be in excess of £600m."
[source: Vodafone (PDF)]
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Related Articles
News
Aug 22nd, 2019
Vodafone and Hatch team up to bring the first premium cloud gaming service to Germany
News
Oct 2nd, 2012
Apps World 12: There are too many stores says Vodafone as it shutters its own curated Android store
Top Stories
News
14 minutes ago
Apple joins generative AI revolution with Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT support
News
5 hours, 12 minutes ago
Royal Match takes a sweet lead over Candy Crush as Honkai: Star Rail zooms by Genshin Impact
News
7 hours, 14 minutes ago
Devsisters’ Chris O’Kelly talks upselling IP to fans across multiple games without cannibalization
News
9 hours, 59 minutes ago
Google hit by £13.6 billion lawsuit over alleged "self-preferencing" and anticompetitive behaviour
News
10 hours, 44 minutes ago
Star Wars: Hunters ranked No. 1 for App Store game downloads in the US, UK and Canada on launch day
News
7 hours, 14 minutes ago
Devsisters’ Chris O’Kelly talks upselling IP to fans across multiple games without cannibalization
Feature
Jun 10th, 2024
Hot Five: Squad Busters’ supercharged launch, Pokémon’s record revenue, and Star Wars: Hunters finally hits the target
Events
Tribeca Games Festival 2024 | North America | Jun 5th |
Steam Next Fest: June 2024 Edition | Jun 10th | |
WN Conference Istanbul 2024 | Jun 11th | |
GamesForum Hamburg 2024 | Europe | Jun 11th |
ESI London 2024 | Europe | Jun 13th |
Game Con Canada (GCC) 2024 | North America | Jun 14th |
Indie Dev Play 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |
DevGAMM Vilnius 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |