Vodafone and Three have partnered in Ireland to create a 50/50 joint venture company. The strategic partnership will see the two operators sharing their physical network and site infrastructure at around 2,000 locations.

Both companies will continue to run the ‘intelligent’ elements of the network separately, including their core network capabilities and service platforms, and manage their own radio equipment and spectrum independently.

“Securing future investment for technologies in a competitive market is critical to maintaining a sustainable business,” says Jeroen Hoencamp, CEO of Vodafone Ireland. “We believe this partnership will place both companies in a stronger position to commit to future investment in our network, and the products and services we provide to customers. This agreement means we can concentrate investment on the intelligent part of the network that will ultimately deliver a better experience for Vodafone customers. At a retail level, we will continue to compete with each other and with other operators as aggressively as before as part of our commitment to deliver great value and innovative services to consumers and businesses across the country.”