Telefónica UK and Vodafone UK to strengthen their network collaboration

Vodafone UK and Telefonica (O2) have announced plans, which are subject to regulatory approval, to strengthen their current collaboration, by pooling basic parts of their network infrastructure to create one national grid running each operator's independent spectrum.

The main points of the deal are:

• Companies to pool basic network infrastructure to create one national grid of 18,500 sites
• Both companies will be running independent spectrum and competing services
• Both companies pledge to close the digital divide between rural and urban areas targeting 98% indoor population coverage across 2G and 3G by 2015
• Agreement will lay the foundations for two competing 4G networks to deliver the capability for a nationwide 4G service faster than could be achieved independently

More details available here.

(Disclaimer — I was responsible for the privacy and law enforcement assistance parts of this deal, for Vodafone.)