Three confirms partnership with Nokia Networks as part of overall €300m network investment plan

Nokia Networks chosen to develop market-leading network

Three has selected Nokia Networks to help develop what is designed to be Ireland’s best ever mobile network following its recent acquisition of O2 in Ireland. Nokia Networks will upgrade the operator’s 2G and 3G networks as part of an overall €300m network investment plan by Three.

Deployment of new technology and hardware will start in September and the project will be completed by 2017, although Three expects customers to start benefiting from the improvements before then.

Welcoming the announcement, David Hennessy, Chief Technical Officer of Three, commented:

“Nokia Networks has been our technology partner since 2004 and we are delighted to extend this partnership to bring our network to the next level. Following on from Three’s successful acquisition of O2 in Ireland, this significant network investment further demonstrates our commitment to roll out a state-of-the-art network for our customers. We are moving towards becoming the No. 1 operator in the country and will do this by providing the best network, value and service for our customers.”

Russell Garner, head of 3 UK and Ireland customer team at Nokia Networks, said,

“This project underscores our long and fruitful partnership with Three Ireland. We will support Three Ireland as it strengthens its position in the market and use our technical expertise to help it become the operator-of-choice in the country.”

In July 2014, Three completed the acquisition of O2 in Ireland, which was previously owned by Telefonica. This deal takes Three’s market share to 37% and brings subscriber numbers to over 2m active users.Three has so far invested over €1.1bn in the Three Irish business.

With this deal, Nokia Networks will provide its Single RAN platform based on the high-capacity, scalable and energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station* for 2G and 3G. It will also modernize the core network with its Liquid Core** based Open Mobile Softswitch (MSS) and Open Media Gateway (MGW), as well as provide its Subscriber Data Management*** solution.

Furthermore, Nokia Networks will deploy its cloud-ready OSS system, NetAct, for monitoring, managing and optimizing 3 Ireland’s network. The company’s network sharing and consolidation services, including Network Planning, Network Implementation and System Integration, will ensure a seamless transition and high network quality for 3 Ireland. The contract also includes hardware, software and competence development services.[signoff predefined=”Enjoy this?” icon=”icon-users”][/signoff]