Cornerstone overhauled by JV partners

Three key takeaways:

1. London goes it alone: active network-sharing in the capital is being unwound over a multi-year process, as O2 pursues its own City of London infrastructure deal — a first crack in the nationwide partnership.
2. Spectrum re-farming gets a fast lane: new “stringent” SLAs force both operators to clear the way for each other’s spectrum and radio kit upgrades on faster, agreed timescales — critical groundwork ahead of 5G densification.
3. The consolidation math has slipped: original 2012 terms targeted a 2015 network meld; site consolidation now runs at 200-400 sites/month, with ~18,500 sites and Beacon 1 completion not expected until March 2018.

Read the full Telefónicawatch analysis — including the complete regional breakdown of active/passive network responsibilities, and what the JV reboot signals about Vodafone’s Ericsson upgrade programme — by clicking below.