O2 customers in Canterbury are set to experience better mobile connectivity following the deployment of four 4G/5G outdoor small cells. Freshwave, working closely with Kent County Council (KCC), deployed the small cells on behalf of O2 in busy areas of Canterbury.
Outdoor small cells are a discreet technology that can be attached to street assets, such as lamp posts, to provide additional mobile capacity in busy areas. About the size of a small box, they relieve demand on the macro network and allow mobile customers to have an improved experience and faster speeds.
The outdoor small cells are being deployed in the city centre in areas such as Clocktower Square and the Whitefriars retail quarter.
Freshwave, a connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service provider, are working with Kent County Council under an open access agreement. These agreements are non-exclusive, allowing local authorities to work with multiple mobile network operators (MNOs) and grant access to the use of their street assets for digital connectivity. This speeds up the rollout of technologies such as outdoor small cells, while ensuring local authorities retain control of their assets.
David Wimble, KCC’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Special Projects, said: “Reliable mobile connectivity is an essential part of modern life, and we welcome the investment from O2 and collaboration with Freshwave. Improving this vital infrastructure in Canterbury will help residents, businesses and visitors stay connected. By working with our partners to make suitable council assets available, we’re helping to bring better mobile coverage and faster, more reliable connections to the places where people need them most.”
Neil Barnes, Mobile Network Operator Account Director at Freshwave, said: “We’re pleased to have collaborated with Kent County Council and O2 to enhance connectivity for O2 customers in some of Canterbury’s busiest destinations. Working in partnership is key to delivering mobile connectivity, and these new small cells demonstrate how local authorities and industry can work together to improve coverage where people need it most.”
Professor Rob Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2, said: “Kent is home to some of the UK’s most historic and popular destinations, with Canterbury welcoming visitors throughout the year. These new small cells will help support residents, businesses and visitors in some of the busiest areas, providing O2 customers with a reliable mobile experience whether they’re exploring landmarks, enjoying local attractions, or staying connected on the go.”
Freshwave have signed more than 40 open access agreements with local authorities around the UK and have deployed more than 800 small cells on behalf of the MNOs.
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