Last year, Vodafone UK and Three UK had announced a new joint venture agreement to merge their operations
U.K. carrier Vodafone said it aims to roll out its 5G Standalone (5G SA) technology to rural Wales as part of its proposed merger with rival telco Three UK.
The commitment follows research showing that 50% of premises in rural areas across Wales are currently 5G not-spots, the telco said in a release.
While Vodafone 5G and 5G SA are currently available in areas across Wales, including Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, the proposed merger with Three UK would offer the necessary scale needed to extend 5G technology to rural parts of the territory.
Vodafone said that the deployment of 5G SA in rural Wales will allow the use of drones using 5G SA in remote or hard-to-reach areas to provide vital information for first responders and care teams during emergency situations, such as fires or traffic collisions.
In the agriculture sector, Welsh farmers would be able to use new innovations like soil sensors to boost productivity, reduce environmental impact and drive growth. The research found that 5G-enabled sensors could help a farm to reduce its chemical usage by 30%, as well as improve efficiency by 15%. The same research also highlighted that tools such as 5G-connected weather stations could help farmers plan irrigation schedules, leading to an approximate 30% fall in the farm’s water consumption, Vodafone said.
Vodafone and Three UK had recently said that the recent decision by the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to carry out a new in-depth review of their proposed merger was in line with the expected timeframe for completion of the transaction. In a joint statement, the two telcos said they remain confident that the transaction will deliver significant benefits in terms of competition.
Last year, Vodafone UK, which is owned by Vodafone Group and Three UK, owned by CK Hutchison Holdings, had announced a new joint venture agreement that would bring their operations under a single network provider. Under the terms of the proposed merger, Vodafone will own 51% of the new entity while Hutchison Group will own 49%.
“The merger will create a third mobile network operator with scale, able and incentivized to invest fully in a best-in-class network. A combined network would also boost competition in the wholesale market, by offering greater choice to MVNOs, the fastest growing segment of the UK’s mobile industry,” they added.
The CMA recently highlighted that it has concerns that the deal could lead to mobile customers facing higher prices and reduced quality.
The CMA launched the initial phase of an antitrust investigation in January after the entity was notified by the two carriers about the proposed merger. This initial review is designed to identify whether the deal may lead to a “substantial lessening of competition” and therefore requires an in-depth, phase 2 investigation. Phase 2 investigations allow an independent panel of experts to probe in more depth initial concerns identified at phase 1, the CMA explained.
