Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG) has signed an agreement with communications infrastructure provider Arqiva, to purchase its entire portfolio of Indoor Networks.
The acquisition by WIG comprises 42 networks across the UK, covering busy locations such as Canary Wharf, Luton Airport, Excel Centre and several shopping centres including Bluewater, Arndale and Meadowhall. The acquisition is part of WIG’s strategy to help building owners and mobile operators improve mobile connectivity across the UK’s work-places, hotels, hospitals, retail destinations and transport hubs.
Edinburgh-based WIG, who last month completed a fund raising of £220 million to boost new infrastructure investment, is a key investor in the deployment and management of indoor neutral-host mobile infrastructure in the UK. The majority of mobile calls are made indoors and enabling coverage often needs dedicated indoor infrastructure to be deployed. As a neutral-host operator WIG invests in high capacity networks that can be used by all mobile operators. WIG has deployed infrastructure in some of the UK’s highest profile venues such as the Leadenhall Building, MediaCity, the Savoy Hotel, intu Trafford Centre and Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium.
The transaction increases the size of WIG’s Indoor Networks business by around one-third, says WIG. Arqiva said it will continue to focus on developing its core business of providing shared outdoor infrastructure and connectivity solutions to the Mobile Network Operators including tower and rooftop infrastructure across the UK and outdoor small cells in urban environments.
David Crawford, MD, Telecoms & M2M, Arqiva
WIG is an ideal fit for Arqiva's Indoor Networks business, given their focus in this area, and will be a good new owner for the colleagues and customers that will transfer over.
Scott Coates, CEO, WIG
This is an important acquisition for WIG as we step up our efforts to help mobile operators and building owners enable better indoor connectivity across the UK’. Improving indoor mobile connectivity can increase productivity in offices, dwell time in retail and is now considered essential by hotel guests and event organisers.
