Europe UK : Arqiva’s Wireless Solutions division has signed a deal with T-Mobile to provide 3G coverage via its innovative CityCell solution. The 10-year deal sees T-Mobile’s 3G coverage enhanced across Glasgow’s city centre via Arqiva’s CityCell nodes – discreet, low power antennas specifically designed for urban use.

Following comprehensive trials in Glasgow, T-Mobile signed the 10-year deal with Arqiva to provide a fully managed service – encompassing design, implementation and maintenance. CityCell’s 12 street level antennas connect back to a central base station ‘hotel’ on existing optic fibre providing fast and secure connectivity. As a result, effective coverage and increased capacity can be provided discreetly via structures typically no more intrusive than a lamppost. Being a shared and fully managed service, the solution is regarded as ‘planning-friendly’ as it provides expandable 2G and 3G coverage without the need for any additional infrastructure, with faults repaired by Arqiva within a minimum amount of time.

Debbie Dickinson-Tame, MD Wireless Solutions at Arqiva commented, “We work closely with mobile operators to provide a core part of their service in urban areas: reliable, high-quality coverage and capacity. CityCell has been designed not only to meet mobile operators’ demands for better urban coverage, but to do so with no negative impact on the local environment. Our antennas are specially designed to be discreet enough to blend into the urban landscape while providing excellent coverage throughout busy streets and into buildings.”

Graham Payne Head of Rollout at T-Mobile added, “We are committed to providing excellent 3G network coverage and capacity to our customers and Arqiva’s CityCell solution helps us to achieve this aim. The fully managed nature of the service means that we can focus on providing the best possible customer experience in the confidence that Arqiva will provide excellent coverage and ample capacity to meet our customers’ current and future requirements.