O2 and Vodafone get go-ahead for UK net share

The UK businesses of Telefónica and Vodafone have been granted permission by the country’s regulatory authorities to pool the basic parts of their network infrastructure to create one national grid. The grid will support two independent and competing networks delivering mobile coverage and mobile internet services to UK households.

As reported by Telecoms.com in June 2012, the scheme will offer indoor 2G and 3G coverage and will lay the foundations for two competing 4G networks for 98 per cent of the UK population by 2015.

“One physical grid, running independent networks, will mean broader coverage and, crucially, investment in innovation and better competition for the customer,” said Ronan Dunne, CEO at Telefónica UK.