Catenaa, Thursday, November 20, 2025-VodafoneThree has brought its first combined Vodafone and Three cell site online in Burnley, Lancashire, completing the project five months ahead of schedule as part of its network integration and 5G rollout.
The site upgrade included full baseband modernisation and the replacement of multiple antennas and radio units, enabling more efficient use of infrastructure and improved performance.
The integration relies on a multi-operator core network (MOCN), allowing customers to connect to whichever network offers the stronger signal.
As of August, approximately 600 sites were enabled under the integration, with VodafoneThree targeting 9,000 sites by year-end.
The company also added 5 MHz of 1800-MHz spectrum at 15,000 sites on Three’s network, increasing 4G speeds by an average of 20%.
The rollout is part of VodafoneThree’s £11 billion network investment plan, which includes £2 billion in 5G standalone (SA) deals with Ericsson and Nokia to accelerate the upgrade program.
The combined network aims to reach 99% population coverage with 5G SA by 2030 and 99.96% by 2034.
Cellnex, which delivered the Burnley site, said the project demonstrates the value of neutral host infrastructure and efficient site consolidation, which frees capital for reinvestment in advanced network capabilities.
