British telcos Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) have entered into a new network sharing agreement with a provision that appears to be aimed at smoothing the way for Vodafone's planned merger with Three.
Vodafone Ready Network
Announcing the updated mobile network sharing agreement, VMO2 said it significantly extends the existing agreement with Vodafone UK Limited for "more than a decade", strengthening mobile coverage across the country.
The agreement also includes a clause that VMO2 will acquire spectrum from the company created by the merger of Vodafone UK and Three UK (currently identified as "MergeCo") if cleared by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Vodafone and O2 (which was) signed their network sharing agreement 12 years ago, creating a joint venture called Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited (CTIL) which merges the radio mast infrastructure of both companies. The result is that customers of both companies can get a service that covers most of the country.
