Operators EE and Three agree a new £1bn network sharing deal
MOBILE operators EE and Three have signed a new network sharing agreement believed to be worth around £1bn to continue their joint rollout of 4G infrastructure.
The operators first signed a network share agreement in 2007, between Three and T-Mobile, as the company was then, in order to share the costs of developing their superfast 4G mobile networks.
Yesterday’s deal will split the costs of building out mast infrastructure for 4G, as well as the transmission costs between masts and the national networks.
Both networks will operate their own separate bands of 4G spectrum however, but will continue to broadcast from shared masts under the arrangement.
Up until now Three – Britain’s smallest mobile network – has not prioritised its 4G rollout, being the last of the UK’s four operators to switch on 4G in December.
The deal marks Three’s first major investment in superfast mobile internet which the operator has committed to provide to all its existing customers for no extra charge.