UK alternative fibre provider, CityFibre has been selected by Three to help connect an additional 1,300 mobile masts across 59 towns and cities under a multi-million pound contract.
Three understands the importance of full fibre backhaul for mobile, and the partnership falls under its strategy for 5G network delivery. CityFibre was already a partner for backhaul connectivity outside London for Three and this new contract will more than triple Three’s initial commitment.
The partnership will also allow Three to access small cell access points throughout each of CityFibre’s dense city-wide networks. This will ensure it has the local full fibre capacity in place to support the expected demand of 5G services in busy urban areas. Delivery is expected to ramp up towards the end of the year.
Susan Buttsworth, COO at Three UK explained: ‘We are increasing investment across our network to meet the ever increasing demand for data by UK consumers. Fibre backhaul is a vital part of a reliable network experience and this investment will mean better connectivity for our customers across the UK.’
Greg Mesch, CEO at CityFibre, added: ‘We are excited to deepen our support for Three’s ambitious 5G roll-out. It’s clear that the alignment of two national consumer and mobile digital infrastructure roll-outs has huge benefits, not just for us, but for the cities and communities we are connecting. Working together we can deploy 5G and full fibre further and more efficiently, creating a world-class digital infrastructure that allows agile and distributed applications for millions.’
