SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Cellnex and O2 have signed an agreement to improve mobile coverage on the Brighton Main Line, one of Britain’s busiest commuter rail corridors.

Under the deal, O2 will use Cellnex infrastructure to extend mobile connectivity, including 5G, along the route between London, Gatwick Airport and the south coast. The rollout will take place in phases across the line and at major stations including London Victoria, London Bridge and Clapham Junction.

The Brighton Main Line carries more than 300,000 passengers on weekdays and supports 1,700 train movements a day. About 50,000 of those journeys are to and from Gatwick Airport, according to the companies.

The agreement adds O2 to a programme that already includes Three UK, which signed up in 2023. Cellnex is building the network as a neutral host system, allowing multiple mobile operators to use shared infrastructure rather than install separate equipment.

The route has long been difficult for mobile coverage because of tunnels, deep cuttings and older station structures. These conditions have contributed to persistent signal gaps for passengers travelling between central London, major commuter areas and Gatwick Airport.

Route upgrade

The infrastructure was developed with Network Rail under a 25-year contract awarded in 2021. Once fully activated, the system is intended to deliver mobile connectivity across 99% of the 108km corridor.

The build programme has run for three years and involved more than 129,000 working hours and more than 11,000 worker entries at stations and trackside locations. Installed equipment includes 130km of fibre, four base station hotels for mobile operator equipment, 39 distributed antenna systems in tunnels and along the track, dedicated station distributed antenna systems at London Bridge, London Victoria and Clapham Junction, and 16 macro sites along the route.

The shared model is designed to lower costs for operators and reduce the amount of physical infrastructure needed on the railway. Cellnex is also seeking wider participation from other mobile networks so more passengers can use the improved coverage regardless of provider.

For commuters, the upgrade addresses a familiar problem on one of the capital’s busiest rail lines. Mobile connections on parts of the route have historically dropped during calls, streaming and app use, particularly in tunnels and busy station areas.

Steve Cray, Managing Director, Cellnex UK, said: “Regular railway passengers will understand the frustration of losing signal mid-conversation or spending whole journeys with buffering videos. With O2 now on board, many more passengers are going to notice the difference on one of the UK’s most important commuter routes. This collaboration stands as one of the most significant end-to-end telecommunications infrastructure deployments on the British railway so far, and we are proud to be setting a new standard for the UK’s entire rail network.”

Operator demand

The addition of O2 points to growing demand among network operators for shared mobile systems on transport routes where standalone deployment can be difficult and costly. Rail corridors present technical and operational challenges because work must be carried out around live services and within constrained infrastructure.

O2 linked the Brighton Main Line deal to its wider network investment programme, saying the agreement would improve both coverage and capacity for customers travelling between the coast and the capital.

Robert Joyce said: “Our £700m Mobile Transformation Plan is focused on delivering reliable connectivity in the moments that matter most, and railway lines are a key part of that. By working with Cellnex to improve connectivity along the Brighton Main Line, we’ll be bringing improved coverage and capacity to customers travelling from the coast to the capital over the coming months.”

Network Rail said the project had required years of coordination on a route that remains in constant use. The infrastructure owner described the work as part of a broader effort to modernise the passenger experience on a line that is central to commuting into London.

Richmond said: “Passengers on the Brighton Main Line deserve connectivity that matches the importance of this route, and our long-term partnership with Cellnex is transforming what has historically been one of the most technically demanding corridors for mobile coverage into a showcase for modern railway connectivity. A huge amount of collaboration has gone into this project over the last few years to support the infrastructure on a railway that is constantly operational. With O2 now on board, even more passengers will soon experience the benefits of this investment every time they travel.”

The Oxford Artisan Distillery, known as TOAD, traded for seven years from its site in an historic barn near South Park in Headington.

It ceased operations in Oxford in 2024, when the company scaled-up to its partner’s premises in Yorkshire to continue trading as The Yorkshire Distilling Company.

The Oxford Artisan Distillery (Image: TOAD)

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Original founder Tom Nicholson recently announced the triumphant return of Oxford’s first distillery to its original site, based in the grade II listed character bran, Cheney Barn in South Park, for summer next year.

A planning application lodged with Oxford City Council to retain the distilling premises, New Barn, for the purpose of reinstating the distillery was approved shortly after the business’ announcement.

The Oxford Spirit Group, the new outfit set to reopen the distillery, bought the barn and gained temporary permission to turn the building into a storage barn, while it got the distillery ‘up and running’.

Still Life: The official opening of The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD). Founder Tom Nicolson and master distiller Cory Mason leading the first tour. Picture: Jon Lewis

The temporary permission lapsed, however, after plans for a new visitor centre at the site, including a restaurant, tasting room and bar, ‘became too big for the business at that stage’.

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Plans reveal that the company is now developing a new masterplan to include visitor facilities on a smaller-scale including dual function tasting and dining rooms, a reception, toilets, hospitality areas and a kiosk for users of South Park.

Oxford City Council granted permission for the company to retain the use of the distilling barn while the rest of the site is developed, for a further period of three years.

The distillery is expected to reopen in summer 2027 with a further planning application outlining full plans for the site expected to be submitted soon.

Founded in 2017 by Mr Nicholson, the company’s Oxford Rye Dry Gin was launched into more than 150 Waitrose stores across the country five years later in 2022.

The original planning application said: “The site comprises the remnants of a farm originally known as Headington Farm which then became Cheney Farm and it contains a derelict 18th century grade II listed Threshing Barn, alongside other more recently built buildings now occupied by TOAD.

“The Threshing Barn is the earliest standing building in the conservation area and dates from the 18th century.

“The adjacent farmyard buildings include a cowshed and the shelter shed which was originally open-fronted.”

TrueRights has appointed Harry O’Hara as Commercial Director, expanding the company’s work in sport.

O’Hara joins from the E1 Series, where he worked on commercial partnerships across the championship’s international rights portfolio. Earlier in his career, he held roles at West Ham United and in financial markets in the City of London.

He will report to Founder and Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Woollams and oversee the company’s commercial strategy, including partnerships across sport, talent, media and brand sectors.

The appointment comes as sports organisations face growing scrutiny over how images, likenesses and other intellectual property are used in AI-generated content. Clubs, athletes, leagues and other rights holders are also considering how to license and manage those assets as generative AI becomes more common in marketing, media and entertainment.

TrueRights operates in the rights and licensing technology market, focusing on the use of content and likeness in digital media and AI systems. It positions itself between intellectual property owners and AI or media platforms, managing permissions, usage terms and reporting on how assets are used.

Sports rights

Sport has become an increasingly sensitive area in the debate over AI and intellectual property, as athlete likenesses, club branding and competition footage all carry significant commercial value. That has created a market for companies promising greater oversight of how those assets are licensed and tracked.

O’Hara said that focus on sport was part of the appeal.

“Generative AI is fundamentally reshaping how content is created, consumed and valued, and that shift is only accelerating. What drew me to TrueRights is that it’s building the infrastructure the industry has been missing: the rights, consent and attribution layer that ensures IP is used correctly, monitored properly and fairly compensated,” said Harry O’Hara, Commercial Director at TrueRights.

He added that rights holders are looking for practical ways to manage and monetise their assets in an AI-driven market.

“Having spent much of my career working with rights holders in sport, I’ve seen first-hand how valuable intellectual property can be and why greater visibility around its use matters. The opportunity is remarkably broad, particularly as more rights holders look for practical ways to manage and commercialise their IP in an AI-enabled environment. There’s a real chance to build partnerships that help talent, brands and agencies license and manage IP with confidence and transparency.

“Add to that the calibre of the team and investors behind the business, and the decision became an easy one. This is a rare chance to help shape an emerging category at a point when the industry is actively looking for solutions, and I couldn’t be more excited to be part of that journey,” O’Hara said.

Commercial push

For TrueRights, the hire marks a stronger push into sports and adjacent media markets, where ownership and control of content are becoming more contested. As AI tools make it easier to generate and distribute synthetic content, rights holders want clearer records of consent, licensing and attribution, the company argues.

Woollams said O’Hara’s background aligned with the company’s focus on commercial partnerships in sport.

“Few people understand the commercial world of sport the way Harry does, and that matters enormously right now. Rights holders, including athletes, clubs, teams and championships, are increasingly focused on what generative AI means for their likeness, content and intellectual property,” said Benjamin Woollams, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at TrueRights.

“As generative AI accelerates both the opportunity and the risk of IP misuse, monitoring where and how content is used has become critical, nowhere more so than in sport, where an athlete’s likeness and a club’s IP are among their most valuable assets.

“Harry has spent his career building partnerships at exactly that intersection. He understands the commercial realities facing rights holders today and shares our belief that greater transparency, accountability and control will become increasingly important as AI adoption continues to grow. We couldn’t be more pleased to have him leading our commercial strategy,” Woollams said.

TrueRights was founded by people from the creator economy and AI sectors. Its platform is designed to structure intellectual property data, issue permissions, enforce usage terms and provide audit trails and reporting on the use of content, likeness and other rights.

According to the company, it works with talent, rights holders, unions and AI platforms. In sport, that places it in a growing part of the market where technology groups are trying to help rights owners respond to the spread of generative AI across content production and distribution.