mm02 goes Dutch with KPN for 3G rollout

NEWS mm02, formerly BT Wireless, and Dutch telco KPN Mobile have signed an agreement to co-operate on the rollout of 3G services in the Netherlands. mm02's Dutch arm, Telfort Mobiel, and KPN have agreed a deal which is flexible enough to allow other Dutch 3G licence holders to participate, with the idea being to reduce costs, speed up the rollout, cover a larger area and reduce the number of base stations being built by each operator. The companies claim 'wide' 3G coverage will be available by 2007 across the Netherlands. The agreement is similar to one signed between mm02 and T-Mobile earlier this year to provide a joint network building programme, network sharing and bilateral roaming in the UK and Germany.