Cellnex and Three UK have signed an agreement to significantly enhance connectivity on the London to Brighton railway route.
The company has highlighted that the partnership will see Three host its mobile voice and data equipment on newly deployed Cellnex UK infrastructure along the entire London to Brighton railway route.
Three UK is the first of the UK’s four MNOs to sign an agreement to join the service, which is part of Cellnex UK’s delivery on a 25-year contract with Network Rail to provide enhanced connectivity for passengers and communities along the Brighton Mainline route.
Three customers will be able to notice a considerable difference to their mobile and data connectivity from later this year, with an uninterrupted connectivity experience along the line. This will appear both onboard stations and at major stations including Clapham Junction, Croydon, London Bridge and London Victoria.
“The lack of reliable connectivity along complete rail journeys is a frustration shared by many passengers and is something that Network Rail is keen to address. As a neutral host and via shared investments, Cellnex provides value to both mobile operators and Network Rail. Therefore, this agreement with Three UK is a hugely positive step in improving Three UK customer experience along the Brighton Mainline route” said David Crawford, Managing Director, Cellnex UK. “The Brighton Mainline project supports the UK Government’s Digital Strategy, is an important element of Network Rail’s ‘putting passengers first’ vision and will also drive environmental efficiency as people are encouraged to swap cars for trains”
The Brighton Mainline service runs 51 miles from London to the South Coast, through some of the UK’s most densely populated areas. At their busiest, Brighton Mainline and its branch lines carry 50,000 passengers every day.
The release highlighted that currently, mobile internet and connectivity between London and Brighton varies from a strong signal to no connectivity at all because of the topography and the many tunnels and cuttings along the route.
Three UK and ROI’s Chief Technical Officer, David Hennessy, said: “At Three UK our mission is to provide better connectivity, every day, for every customer. Enhancing our customer experience is at the heart of this strategy and we know vital it is for people to stay seamlessly connected wherever they may be. With our 4G network now covering 99% of the UK outdoor population, carrying 28% of mobile data traffic, together with our partner, Cellnex UK, we are proud to lead the way in extending this to rail routes typically blighted by patchy coverage.”
Three UK’s equipment will be hosted on newly deployed open route ‘Macro Sites’, station Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) and special coverage DAS, which will provide their customers with uninterrupted coverage in previous ‘not-spots’ such as tunnels and cuttings and in congested locations including busy stations and peak-time trains.
Press release: Cellnex
