Mobile phone operators Vodafone and Telefónica (owner of O2) are to share networks in the UK, Germany, Spain and Ireland, says eWeek Europe.
[…] Under the deal , the companies will pool existing 2G and 3G masts, and will build new sites jointly, leading to a significant reduction in the environmental impact and energy demands of mobile phone infrastructure in the UK, the companies said. It should also speed the delivery of mobile broadband coverage, by allowing the companies to eliminate overlap and concentrate on fresh sites.
A good move from an environmental perspective especially.
As a Vodafone and O2 (and 3) customer, I hope it also means a good move from the user cost perspective when roaming.
I’d like to see the same type of usage and pricing transparency as 3 offers: if you roam on a 3 sister network in some countries, 3 treats it as if you’re on your home network, and so no roaming charges for voice, text or data use.
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Treat this news with a pinch of salt. Below’s a link to a similar deal Vodafone did with Orange two years ago – keep digging for formal press statements in Feb 2007 and Feb 2008 (which re-announced the original handshake agreement) and you’ll find spookily similar key messaging.
Now they’re doing this new deal, there’s a good chance that hasn’t been followed through, but I suspect putting these into practice hasn’t become any easier than the original attempt, nor the attempt by T-Mobile and 3 made, which I recall didn’t match the initial press statements in practice either.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/feb/08/digitalmedia.mobilephones
(you might guess I’ve done some work on this)
Yeah, a large pinch of salt, Al, as far as usage and pricing transparency are concerned.
How I’d love to be surprised, though!