T-Mobile and 3 select BT's 21CN network

T-Mobile and 3 UK have signed a five-year managed network solutions agreement with BT to provide high-speed, next-generation links connecting 7,500 base station sites on their consolidated 3G infrastructure.

The contract, via the mobile operators' Mobile Broadband Network Ltd joint venture, supercedes and expands upon the original contracts that BT had in place with both T-Mobile and 3 UK.

The agreement will see T-Mobile and 3 benefitting from BT's next-generation Ethernet service, which is currently being rolled out to the widest national footprint in the UK market. With flexible, high-speed bandwidth the service will mean improved access and backhaul service delivery to T Mobile and 3.

Brian Fitzpatrick, managing director of BT Wholesale Markets, said: "The commitment from MBNL underlines the value our managed network services deliver to customers. BT now supports the base station connectivity requirements of four of the five mobile players in the UK market, bringing our economies of scale to a hugely important element of the communications marketplace."

He added: "Achieving revenue growth without the pressures of making significant investments in infrastructure expansion is critical for all mobile operators. Through our 21CN platform, we can help our customers like T-Mobile and 3 to future-proof their networks and deliver innovative, high-performance services to their own customers."

More here.