More due from other manufacturers
Cornerstone, the joint venture that operates Vodafone and O2’s shared network elements, has placed an order for 60 mobile phone masts per month for the next two years, according to manufacturing company Hutchinson Engineering. The contract is worth £8 million over a two year period, Hutchinson said.
The Hutchinson order equates to a potential 1,440 new masts going into the network over the next couple of years, indicating that Cornerstone is paying around £5,500 per mast.
As Hutchinson is one of a few mast suppliers to Cornerstone, the total number of new masts coming online will be greater than that number. Cornerstone confirmed that Hutchinson is not the sole provider of masts to Cornerstone, but declined to confirm the total number of masts on order with all suppliers over the next two years.
A statement from Cornerstone said, “Hutchison Engineering is one of several companies supplying masts and associated equipment to Cornerstone. We cannot confirm the number they indicate, nor the number of masts we expect to order, as it is a complex process largely driven by the planning process. It is also commercially confidential.”
Cornerstone, founded in 2009, is the joint venture that manages the shared elements of Vodafone and O2’s network. Principally it combines the operators’ investment in passive network elements.