Arqiva is to work with Virgin Media Business in the provision of 4G connectivity across some of the UK’s largest cities. London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford and Southampton will benefit from the improved access.
Between them Arqiva and Virgin will be able to provide Mobile Network Operators with access to over 400,000 street assets, including lampposts and CCTV cameras. This will combine with Virgin Media Business’s high capacity fibre network for end to end delivery.
“Small cell technology is a key way of tackling network capacity in built-up areas for mobile operators,” said Duncan Higgins, marketing director, Virgin Media Business. “Increasingly people are using their mobile devices to download and stream videos; that’s why services like this are so important. By providing more capacity in city centres where we already have a large-scale fibre presence, we are able to provide a great service.”
Nicolas Ott, Arqiva’s managing director of telecoms added: “Regardless of network or consumer device, seamless and hassle-free connectivity is an absolute must. The challenge in dense urban areas is that buildings can block the signal and the higher volume of users can result in network congestion. Small cell technology is key to addressing these challenges, as already demonstrated in the United States and Asia.”
The combination is likely to expand the range and depth of mobile coverage areas.
