Cellnex has delivered its first VodafoneThree consolidated mast in the UK.

The telecoms infrastructure company said that it was able to deliver the mast five months ahead of schedule.

It comes as VodafoneThree pushes to expand its mobile coverage across the UK, following the completion of Vodafone and Three's merger in June.

Cellnex notes that the site, which is located in Burnley, in north-western England, contains both software and hardware improvements to bolster 4G and 5G coverage to both Vodafone and Three customers.    

According to Cellnex, the project has included a full baseband modernization to boost capacity and performance, alongside the swapping of multiple antennas and radio units.

The site is the first of a number of sites to be upgraded following the merger.

“The successful delivery of this first site in Burnley, ahead of schedule, is a powerful demonstration of this collaboration in action. Our role is to provide the stable, adaptable infrastructure, leveraging our neutral host solutions and national portfolio of sites," said Gianluca Landolina, CEO, Cellnex UK.

As part of the merger, VodafoneThree pledged to cover 99 percent of the UK's population with its 5G Standalone (5G SA) network, while it's also committed to cover 99.95 percent of the population by 2034 with its 5G Standalone.

Vodafone was the first UK operator to launch 5G SA, doing so back in June 2023. Its 5G SA footprint now extends to 47 percent of the UK's population.

"Having trusted partners such as Cellnex, who share our ambition, is essential to us achieving our mission to build the UK’s best network, and we look forward to continuing to work together," added Andrea Donà, chief network officer, VodafoneThree.

VodafoneThree has ramped up its network upgrades to switch on its multi-operator core network (MOCN) technology at more than 600 sites in the UK.

The upgrades are part of VodafoneThree’s £11 billion ($14.83bn) investment program following the completion of the merger.