Freshwave is pleased to have signed an open access agreement with Sutton Council. Open access makes it easier for mobile network operators (MNOs) to share digital infrastructure installed on council-owned street furniture.
The open access approach, championed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), helps to reduce the barriers to improving digital connectivity. By speeding up the adoption of new technology, residents, local businesses and visitors can benefit more quickly from enhanced connectivity.
Councillor Sunita Gordon, Lead Member for Resources, comments: “I’m pleased to see us making good progress to improve the digital connectivity within Sutton. This will be a huge boost to residents, particularly those living, working or visiting the so called ‘not-spots’ and will also be a very welcome improvement to our infrastructure for local businesses.”
Simon Frumkin, CEO of Freshwave, says: “It’s great to see Sutton Council embracing the future with the open access model. We’re proud to have worked closely with DCMS, the Greater London Authority, and other local authorities to help develop it. And we were also the first to sign an open access agreement with a council in 2020.
“Open access ensures a level playing field for all and we welcome the competition that this brings. Competition accelerates the speed of deployment, meaning communities and organisations will see the benefits that come with improved connectivity more quickly.”
This is the latest in a range of open access agreements that Freshwave has signed with local authorities across the UK. Freshwave will be deploying small cells across a variety of cities in 2022 and 2023. Outdoor small cells, used in high demand areas such a busy shopping streets or transport hubs, immediately enhance 4G mobile connectivity so everybody can connect. The digital infrastructure used will also be 5G ready, which will allow the new technology to be adopted more quickly, bringing further benefits to the communities.
