Mobile Phones: Equipment

(asked on 1st June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on the reasons why operators cluster mobile and cellular network equipment at the same locations.


Answered by
Matt Warman Portrait
Matt Warman
This question was answered on 8th June 2020

A key factor that explains why mobile network operators cluster mobile and cellular network equipment at the same locations is their need to take advantage of specific locations that provide optimum mobile coverage and capacity to their customers.

A number of other factors also influence mobile network operators’ decision making. Planning considerations are important because where a local planning authority has already granted permission for telecommunications infrastructure to be built at a specific location for one operator, it is much easier for new operators to deploy there too. In doing so it also reduces the environmental impact of numerous sites in an area. In addition, where a wayleave agreement for backhaul transmission and site access has already been granted, or power supply to a site installed, incremental costs and associated barriers for new operators to use this site will likely be reduced.

The Government supports the view that the mobile network operators, wherever viable, should share mobile sites and network infrastructure, such as masts and antennas, as this can make the deployment of mobile networks more cost effective, minimise the number of masts needed and, in doing so, help to minimise any environmental impact.

Industry already has extensive mast sharing arrangements in place that cover many sites. Vodafone and O2 have a mast sharing agreement for which they founded a joint venture called Cornerstone Telecommunications, while EE and Three also have a similar agreement in place through their joint venture, Mobile Broadband Network Limited.

While a site might be the optimum location for multiple mobile network operators to ensure that their radio networks deliver the best service for their customers, it is not, however, always possible to share infrastructure or equipment at a specific site. An operator may need to build a second site at a shared location to handle increased capacity demand for example.

Site sharing will be essential to the delivery of the Shared Rural Network Programme which will deliver 95% 4G coverage across the whole of the UK by the end of 2025.

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