£25m pledged to improve 3G in Northern Ireland

Three and Everything Everywhere will spend £25m improving mobile network coverage in Northern Ireland before the end of 2012.

The companies announced the co-operative deal, which is designed to improve network stability, performance and customer experience, on Monday. News of the investment was welcomed by Northern Ireland enterprise minister Arlene Foster.

"An investment of this size in the growing mobile sector comes at an important time. My Department has consulted extensively on telecoms investment priorities for 2011-2015 and has received endorsement for proposals to examine ways to deliver improvements in high-speed mobile delivery," Foster said in a statement.

In addition to boosting 2G reception, the scheme hopes to achieve 94 percent 3G coverage by its completion by the end of 2012. According to an Ofcom mobile coverage report in November 2011, 3G coverage in Northern Ireland is currently at just 54 percent.

In addition to improving current generation services, Foster said she is also trying to secure funding for next generation technologies to ensure the country can take advantage of technological advances.

"We are in detailed discussions with the UK Government to source sizeable funding to deliver a 4G platform to allow us to benefit from the next evolution of mobile services."

Foster hopes to spur future development talks by bringing together the Mobile Operators Association — the representative body for the UK's four mobile operators — and members of the Legislative Assembly.

T-Mobile and Three have had a network sharing agreement in place since 2007. T-Mobile and Orange fall under the banner of Everything Everywhere since an agreement was formed in May 2010.