T-Mobile and 3 in £400 million network deal

T-Mobile and 3 have announced their mobile broadband joint venture will be reinforced by a 400 million contract with Nokia Siemens Networks.

The deal will bolster T-Mobile and 3's joint operation, named Mobile Broadband Network Limited (MBNL), in its bid to expand coverage of a shared network to more than 98 per cent of the population by the end of this year.

It will see Nokia Siemens Networks providing additional 3G radio network infrastructure, mobile network planning and maintenance.

In a statement, managing director of MBNL Graham Payne said: "With Nokia Siemens Networks, we are confident of providing the UK's most smartphone friendly, high-speed 3G network to more people in the UK than any other operator."

As the shared network requires fewer masts, MBNL has been integrating more than 7,000 sites out of over 12,500 mast sites which are to be consolidated by October 2010.

Once the integration project is completed, more than 3,000 redundant sites will have been turned off.

Earlier this year, the T-Mobile and Orange merger was given the green light by European regulators. Whether this has an impact on MBNL remains to be seen as T-Mobile would not comment on the issue.