Three and O2 put positive spin on sh*t connectivity

Three and O2 have signed a deal with SSE Enterprise which will enable the pair to access its fibre ring, part of which is located in the Thames Water waste water network, to improve connectivity backhaul capabilities.

With 5G on the horizon, and demands for improved 4G experience, partnerships like this will be key to not only improve backhaul but also enable further 4G and 5G deployment by connecting cell sites and masts. Robust aggregation of fronthaul and backhaul access is necessary in order to provide greater resiliency, increase capacity and reduce latency. In other words, fibre is king if you want to meet the demands of the data-craving consumers.

Just to put things in perspective, UK data usage is set to grow thirteen-fold between 2017 and 2025 according to data from Ofcom, with the first 5G offerings set to hit the market during 2019. To meet this demand, 5G is key, enhanced 4G experience is key and backhaul is key. Fibre rules the roost.

“Networks will fundamentally underpin the UK’s digital economy and will be essential to 5G services,” said Colin Sempill, MD of SSE Enterprise Telecoms. “With this high capacity core in the London sewers, Three UK and O2 are tapping into our unique, diverse connectivity and putting their networks in a strong position to trial 5G offerings, while enhancing existing services for their customers.”

“New and innovative models are essential to improving the customer experience of mobile networks by increasing the availability of dark fibre for mobile backhaul and driving competition in the market,” said Dave Dyson, CEO of Three. “Our partnership with SSE Enterprise Telecoms and O2 is one of the first examples of using existing infrastructure to improve connectivity in an urban area.”

“This kind of agreement is essential to allow for continued investment and improvement of services for our customers,” said Brendan O’Reilly, CTO at O2. “This partnership is a great example of SSE Enterprise Telecoms, Three UK and O2 coming together in a collaborative and innovative way to address the growing challenge and pressure of obtaining access to fibre for mobile backhaul in the UK.”

SSE has been running some interesting projects to improve the speed and reduce the cost in terms of laying fibre over the last couple of months. In this example, SSE is licensed to lay fibre optic cables throughout Thames Water’s waste water network which it claims can reduce network deployment costs by 60% and speed up deployment by up to ten times. As the sewers can be as deep as 10 metres, laying the fibre in this way can decrease accidental fibre breaks as the traditional means see the cables laid only 12 inches below the surface. The waste water network is also geographically very wide-spread, it is a creative solution to the challenge of laying fibre more efficiently, even if it is a bit of a smelly one.

The agreement with Three and O2 will see approximately 100 points of connectivity exit from this central London sewer network via two BT Exchanges. By partnering with SSE Enterprise Telecoms, Three and O2 can operate their own Central London Area (CLA) network, while also accessing spare fibre ducts for future initiatives in London.

The last couple of months have seen SSE ink numerous deals with the telcos, including a separate partnership with Three where it has begun facilitating fibre optic connections for the telcos 20 core data centres. Last October, SSE also won a competitive tender from advanced fibre broadband specialists Grain to deliver network connectivity to Countesswells, a new £800 million development in Aberdeen.