The small cell and Wi-Fi deployment will be carried out by CTIL in partnership with O2.
The City of London Corporation awarded a 15-year contract to Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Ltd. for the construction of a citywide mobile network set to include small cells and public Wi-Fi.
Under the terms of the deal, CTIL will deploy LTE-compatible mobile small cells, which will be housed on street furniture such as lamp posts, street signs, buildings and closed-circuit television columns, to provide mobile coverage at street level. CTIL will partner with U.K. mobile operator O2 in building the Wi-Fi network, which will be free for the public to use. The wireless project is set to replace the current service provided by The Cloud (Sky) and is scheduled for launch later this year.
CTIL was created in 2012 by Vodafone and Telefónica and tapped to manage network sites for both telecom operators.
CTIL claims the wireless network will be more technically advanced than those found in other leading global financial centers, including New York. The service is said to support high-bandwidth applications and will be free following a one-time registration.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to work together to lead the roll out of next generation wireless technology,” explained Malcolm Collins, managing director at CTIL, in a statement. “Small cells will be key as operators look to support the growing needs of customers. We will offer an innovative wholesale solution that will enable them to do so efficiently and effectively.”
