Arqiva Assigns Sites: What Landlords Need to Know
Matt Restall
Specialist Telecom Surveyor
Updated September 2026. This article was reviewed and corrected in September 2026. We updated the article to confirm that the sale of Arqiva’s telecoms division to Cellnex completed in July 2020 and that Arqiva Services Limited is now On Tower UK Limited.
Arqiva Site Assignment Explained
Arqiva are seeking to assign their telecoms mast agreements to Arqiva Services.
Landlords across the UK have been receiving requests to allow the assignment of their Arqiva telecoms agreement to Arqiva Services. Many are questioning who this company is? What does it mean “Arqiva assigns sites”? What is their relationship to Arqiva? What are the implications of an assignment and should they allow it.
Arqiva’s telecoms tower business, now On Tower (formerly Arqiva) and owned by Cellnex, is primarily an infrastructure business in the world of telecoms rather than a telecoms operator itself. It owns Phone Mast towers across the UK and allows the operators to use space on these towers for their equipment. Quite often, you find an Arqiva Phone Mast has EE, O2, Vodafone and 3 all transmitting from it.
In October 2019 Arqiva agreed to sell its telecoms division to Spanish owned company Cellnex, and the sale completed in July 2020. It is thought the drive to assign their leases to Arqiva Services is an attempt to separate these assets from Arqiva’s other assets and business to facilitate this sale. In July 2020 Arqiva Services Limited changed its name to On Tower UK Limited, so Arqiva Services is the same company as On Tower UK Limited today.
The Phone Mast Advice Company Ltd are dealing with hundreds of these Arqiva assignment applications and can advise you and assist you to secure the best outcome. Please contact us before for a free, no obligation chat.
Related Services
If you need expert advice on the topics discussed in this article, our specialist surveyors can help:
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Vodafone Phone Mast Leases
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O2 Phone Mast Leases
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Cellnex Phone Mast Leases
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Arqiva Phone Mast Leases
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Phone Mast Sales
Call us on 01691 791543 or contact us online for a free consultation.
Matt Restall
Founder & Specialist Telecom Surveyor, The Phone Mast Advice Company Ltd
Matt Restall has over 30 years' experience advising UK landlords on phone mast leases and rent reviews. He instigated and advised on the landmark Compton Beauchamp Estates v CTIL case and has completed over 10,000 deals on behalf of landowners across England and Wales. Matt represents landlords — never operators.