Scaling 5G capacity through deployment of Quadstack upgrades
In just over a year, we delivered more than 125+ Quadstack upgrades across Greater London enabling 5G capability on existing shared sites and supporting rising demand across one of the UK’s most complex urban environments.
This programme wasn’t just about upgrading infrastructure. It was about adapting it, at scale, to meet the realities of a city in constant motion.
London presents a unique set of challenges
- High population density.
- Continuous redevelopment.
- Restricted site access.
- Complex planning environments.
And demand for connectivity that only moves in one direction. Quadstack upgrades increase that complexity further. All while coordinating across multiple stakeholders, from local authorities to landlords and supply chain partners. Each site requires:
- Full decommissioning of existing equipment.
- Structural reconfiguration to support four antenna systems.
- Integration of upgraded power and fibre.
- Delivery in live, constrained environments.
“The news that Cornerstone has reached this milestone is great news. It’s another important step in our commitment to build the UK’s best network, whilst ensuring our customers continue to enjoy our fast 5G speeds as data usage continues to grow.”
Iain Milligan, Network Development and Infrastructure Director, VodafoneThree
This programme was engineered end-to-end. Each site was individually designed, planned and delivered with precision, balancing technical requirements with real-world constraints on access, planning and environment. Typically involving around ten organisations per site. Delivering at scale in London requires more than capability, it requires orchestration. Delivery required coordination across a multi-disciplinary ecosystem:
- Fibre providers
- Power specialists
- Engineering teams
- Local authorities
- Delivery partners
“We’re proud to be working with Cornerstone on the Quadstack programme and supporting the delivery of the critical national infrastructure required to operate the UK’s mobile networks.”
Bryan Casey, Managing Director, M Group Telecom (Mobile)
The collaboration across partners has delivered great results and continues further rollout.
- 125+ Quadstack upgrades delivered across Greater London, and more on the way
- All sites live and operational
- Increased network capacity across high-demand areas
- Improved resilience across the shared infrastructure estate
- Supporting delivery of Beacon integration and VF3 commitments
Most people will never see this work. But they rely on it every day. From city centres to residential streets, these upgrades enable the capacity and performance required to support how London lives and works.
Delivery if this programme would not have been possible without the close collaboration and partnership approach from WHP telecoms, who led the physical on the ground deployment. They together with our delivery partners at M Group Telecom, including X, continue to make these programmes possible, at the scale, time and cost, expected by the customers.
“Volume at this level is not to be underestimated. WHP committed fully to the programme… They were responsive, present on the frontline, and proactive in unpicking issues as they arose. That level of ownership made a real difference.”
Dale Carter, Regional Programme Manager (London), Cornerstone
London is only becoming more complex. More redevelopment, more demand and more pressure on access, planning and delivery. Meeting that challenge requires more than infrastructure in isolation. It requires a coordinated approach, bringing together connectivity, power and fibre to solve the real-world constraints our customers face. This is how we’re evolving our role.
As demand grows, and redevelopment reshapes the urban landscape, access, planning and delivery will only become more complex. Our role is to simplify that complexity and turn it into capability for our customers. Because the future of connectivity isn’t built in isolation. It’s built through infrastructure that adapts, scales and performs, wherever it’s needed.
For media enquiries and further information, please contact: media@cornerstone.network.