O2 and infrastructure-as-a-service provider Ontix have partnered to deploy small cells in Flintshire, North Wales.

The partnership has seen the network provider deploy the region's first 4G and 5G small cells.

Small cells take advantage of existing street assets, such as telephone boxes, lamp posts, and CCTV columns.

They are seen as a simpler alternative to bulkier telecom infrastructure, which might look out of place or draw criticism from residents.

O2 and Ontix have deployed the small cells at Deeside Industrial Park. The purpose of the small cells is to provide additional capacity for residents and businesses.

The deployment has also been supported by Flintshire County Council, which provided Ontix with access to its streetlighting columns for hosting the equipment.

"Our Mobile Transformation plan is all about ensuring our customers receive a reliable network experience in the moments that matter most. These new small cells will provide extra capacity to the growing Deeside Industrial Park, providing a boost to the businesses based there and to the local economy," said Steven Verigotta, director of mobile delivery at O2.

Last year, Virgin Media announced plans to invest £700 million ($957m) into its mobile network this year in an effort to improve its reliability, speed, and coverage across the UK.

The telco's network build-out comes after it struck a deal with Vodafone to acquire 78.8 MHz of spectrum, taking Virgin Media O2's total mobile spectrum share to approximately 30 percent of the UK market.

Ontix has previously paired with Virgin Media O2 to deploy small cells in other parts of the UK, including Plymouth, Reading, and Birmingham.

The company has also deployed small cells for O2's rival EE across parts of London.