Originally Posted by wavejockglw:
“The point is that coverage will soon be down to just two transmission networks providing co-located facilities for the now four UK cellular networks (3, EE, Vodafone & O2).”
But it won't though will it as O2 / Voda is a sharing agreement, not an agreement to share all sites.
Originally Posted by wavejockglw:
“ It makes no sense for MBNL to provision a facility for one provider only.”
Not what they say, they plan for providers of the 3 networks to keep some of their own sites for capacity need.
Originally Posted by wavejockglw:
“The notion that 3 UK has many more sites to serve the smallest number of customers of any network is not credible”
Except that you forget they are the fastest growing network, the network that shifts 50% of the UK's mobile data and are the market leader in mobile broadband.
Originally Posted by wavejockglw:
“ It wont happen overnight but it makes sense for O2 and Vodafone to rationalise and have the same coverage on each of their co-located sites”
You think it does, but all they have done is agreed to share some sites. Each network will have it's own needs in certain areas and their own coverage wants. Even if this were to happen it could be years and years away as the vast majority of the sites are still separate.
Originally Posted by wavejockglw:
“In O2/Vodafone's case though they have lots of prime sites as the original networks and those will be combined rather than being resited.”
You've said this before, but those prime sites date back from the old days of call and text coverage on big wide areas from the top of hills. In future it'll be about smaller monopoles and high capacity data services which are more localised in every few streets. What MBNL are doing is having lots more sites that are on lamp posts and monopoles.
Originally Posted by wavejockglw:
“All networks are implementing HSPA+ and some are experimenting with LTE, there is no network presently with a monopoly on new technology. Backhall is generally outsourced to BT or Virgin Media who provide the fibre optic capacity acoss the UK and is bought as need arises.”
Some networks have way more HSPA+ than others, backhaul will vary, although by the same providers (and there are others I believe other than BT / Virgin) there is also different size pipes, the networks that have different contention ratios, more break out points, etc there will be big differences in speeds between the networks due to the different backhaul network configurations and how much they want to invest / provide to their customers.
Originally Posted by wavejockglw:
“ It was a simple question of coverage and on that basis there will within a short space of time be only two real options for mobile customers in the UK.”
And I disagree for the reasons listed above.