Cellnet the joint venture on cellular communications between British Telecom and Securicor has followed rival Racal-Vodafone (CI No 641) and ordered additional equipment worth UKP16m from Motorola to expand its cellular network capacity. The equipment, Dynatac base stations and switches, will enable Cellnet to use the additional airwave channels in London that the Department of Trade and Industry will release to both cellular operators by the end of 1987. Cellnet has already invested UKP22m in sectorising its cells to increase the number of channels available over a small area. It is hoped that the new analogue equipment ordered by both Racal Vodafone and Cellnet will ensure that there is enough capacity to take the two operators into the early 1990s when a standard pan-European digital system is planned to begin coming into service.
