Virgin Media O2 and Freshwave Add 4G Connected Bus Shelters in London
A collaboration between mobile operator O2 (VMOS), wireless infrastructure provider Freshwave and ad firm Clear Channel UK has enabled residents and visitors in parts of Tower Hamlets (London) to access a stronger 4G mobile signal when standing near to supporting bus shelters, which have built-in small cell connectivity.
Shoebox sized small cells are like mini mobile base stations, which have been designed to deliver limited coverage (usually up to around 80-120 metres) and thus tend to be more focused on busy urban areas or specific sites. As a result, it’s not uncommon to find these sitting on top of lampposts, CCTV poles or old payphone cubicles (often more cost-effective than building new street assets or trying to secure wayleaves on buildings etc.).
Earlier this year we reported that O2 and Freshwave had conducted trials of 4G and 5G equipped bus shelters (there are 10,000 such shelters in London), which were connected to backhaul capacity via optical fibre cables. The good news is that these are now being installed anywhere there’s a Clear Channel supported bus shelter and a “requirement to increase [local] network capacity” in Tower Hamlets, and they’re “5G-ready” for the future.
Advertisement
The new small cells are being deployed to related bus shelters over the “coming months“, although it’s unclear precisely how many shelters will benefit from this or when the rollout itself will complete. But it’s by no means the first time that somebody has stuck radio / mobile equipment on top of a bus shelter in the UK, but in the past such deployments were often tied to specific operators.
Pete Hollebon, VMO2, said:
“Collaboration with partners such as Freshwave and Clear Channel is crucial to delivering the best possible network experience for our customers. This industry-first achievement provides us with new options when it comes to our continual network improvements and we’re looking forward to adding the technology to further sites.”
Simon Frumkin, CEO at Freshwave, said:
“I’m proud of our constant engineering and design innovations, as well as the way we collaborate in new ways with industry partners and local authorities. Smart cities and towns need new approaches to digital connectivity. And the more existing street assets that can be used to bring this to our towns, the better it is for both the mobile network operators and the customers and communities they serve. This is why we’re already working on a multi-operator, multi-technology design for bus shelter use too.”
At launch only O2 (VMO2) appear to be offering a 4G mobile service via the new sites, but Freshwave’s cells are usually available via wholesale for other operators to harness too, if they so choose.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
« OneWeb Successfully Launch 36 LEO Broadband Satellites from India
In my area there are places where your mobile can show perfect 4G or 4G+ signal coverage but you can’t open a single website. Yesterday I’ve been in the place where O2 has 5G coverage and on the speedtest I’ve achieved shocking 25Mbps. The only reason I am still with them is EU roaming included.
Unfortunately this kind of post bas become more common than it is rare.
O2 have lost their way. Chronic under-investment and too much time spent on how they can “win” in the Telco markets the others are laughing and have surpassed them by a decade.
Mon-Fri 4pm on O2 you CANNOT send a WhatsApp or iMessage on the O2 network. Surely this flags up on their under-performance charts when customers get precisely ZERO throughput.
Somebody needs to tell O2 they are truly dreadful because they win nothing and all their customers are complaining.
Who is mismanaging this company so badly? They need to step aside.
O2 have access to VirginMedia FREE OF CHARGE unlimited speed Leased Lines so what exactly is the problem inside this company?
I’m on o2 and this happens to me regularly in a town nearby, perfect reception on 4g or 4g+ and the connection is at a standstill, it’s a nightmare when you need a connection to load bus tickets up etc
That’s handy for O2 users, if other operators joined Freshwave it would help improve existing 4G coverage as well as extend 5G coverage.
For me personally, if it was put in place in my home town I be very happy as I live less then 80m from two such equipped bus shelters.
These small cells should definitely need more wide spread. Not just cites but counties too.
You’ll find small cells all over the place, from different operators and companies, but most likely you’ve never noticed them. But as the article above alludes, they’re no substitute for proper masts and tall buildings that can deliver cost-effective coverage over a wide area. Small cells target specific / busy areas.
I give it about 3 days before it’s reduced to tiny squares of glass and bits of smashed electronics. Sadly many of us experience the dread and misery of living in areas that also have some not very nice members of society in them who are intent on vandalism and destruction. And no, I don’t mean the stop oil lot.
It’s a great idea, I just don’t trust it with the public. Since even a regular glass bus shelter is ripe for destruction in all but the fanciest of towns. Once with police that patrol etc.
Still won’t beat ee it’s the best in my aera