T-Mobile and mmO2 seek 3G sharing extension

March 11, 2004

Mobile operators T-Mobile and mmO2 are seeking permission from the UK telecom regulator Ofcom to extend their agreement of 3G network sharing. Last April, the two firms were allowed to share their 3G networks in the UK for five years, which aimed to boost the rollout of 3G services.

Brian McBride, managing director of T-Mobile UK, said the two firms would not be able to make a return on their investment in five years because of the delayed launch of the service. He believes the government should allow all mobile phone companies to share networks so 3G coverage can be made available all over the country.

"Given that the whole 3G thing has moved to the right we're not getting five years of benefit out of it," he said.

McBride insisted yesterday that T-Mobile's 3G network is ready to go but is waiting for handsets from suppliers. At the 3GSM congress last month, Vodafone's chief executive Arun Sarin blamed handset makers for the delay in 3G services because they failed to produce enough quality handsets.