Mobile Broadband Network Ltd. (MBNL), the joint venture between Everything Everywhere and 3UK, has hit an eight-year agreement with Virgin Media Business to offer enhanced mobile broadband services.

The £100 million deal will offer the UK’s first synchronous Ethernet mobile backhaul service that will allow Everything Everywhere (Orange and T-Mobile) and 3UK customers to access Virgin Media’s high-speed fibre-optic network.

Under the terms of the deal, Virgin Media will establish 14 region-based networks spread throughout the UK and will use them to connect the base stations to its fobre-optic networks.

It will improve bandwidth and deliver fast 1Gbps internet service to a combined customer base of more than 35 million.

Speaking on the deal, MBNL managing director Graham Payne said, “Working together with Virgin Media Business, the first company in the market to offer this synchronous Gigabit Ethernet service, we will be able to scale for future demand.”

Virgin Media hinted that the new service, which should be available with in 18 months, would be improved in the future to offer a connectivity of up to 10Gbps.