MOBILE phone giants Vodafone and O2 have agreed to share radio antennas and equipment that will speed up the rollout of 5G superfast internet, the companies have announced.
Bosses hope the deal will allow it to take on the might of larger rival EE, which is owned by BT, and reduce the need for more masts and towers in major cities.
They also hinted that costs could be lower for the public as the deal "lowers rollout costs, allowing more investment in services for customers".
The deal will see the pair share approximately 2,700 sites in 23 cities across the UK, representing around 16 per cent of combined mast sites.
Combined with a mast-sharing deal in London announced last year, Vodafone and O2, which is owned by Spanish business Telefonica, will control around one in four sites across the country.
Nick Jeffery, chief executive of Vodafone UK, said greater autonomy in major cities will allow the two companies to "accelerate deployment and, together with active network sharing, ensures that our customers will get superfast 5G in even more places more quickly, using fewer mast".
Mark Evans, chief executive of Telefonica UK, said: "Today is an important step in demonstrating our commitment to invest for the future, with mobile connectivity one of the UK's most powerful opportunities to strengthen the economy and improve the lives of British people."
The deal also sees the creation of a joint venture called Cornerstone, which will be responsible for managing the passive tower infrastructure owned by the pair.
O2 revealed in February that its 5G rollout will go to Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London first, with other areas due in 2020.
Vodafone launched its 5G service earlier this year, with Belfast not included in the initial rollout. The network launched in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and London on July 3, with 12 more towns and cities to be added by the end of the year.
EE was the first operator in the UK to launch the new, high-speed mobile network.
The BT-owned telecoms firm launched its 5G network in Belfast on May 30, with the city one of six chosen for the initial launch. More locations are due to follow before the end of the the year and into 2020.
Take-up of 5G is expected to be slow this year, with a limited number of handsets available to connect to the superfast speeds.
