Optus has announced a $1.6bn network sharing agreement with its rival TPG after lobbying against a similar deal between TPG and Telstra, which was kiboshed by the competition tribunal last year. The Singtel-owned company and Vodafone’s parent company said on Monday the agreement will see TPG more than double its 4G coverage to 1,000,000 sq km and reach 98.4% of the population. The multi-operator core network agreement, which will need the approval of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, will also give Optus access to some of TPG’s spectrum. Related: Judge blocks Telstra and TPG deal to share regional mobile networks Over the course of the 11-year agreement, TPG is expected to pay Optus close to $1.6bn, with Optus paying TPG $420m for the spectrum access. The two companies will continue to operate their own core networks for security and resiliency independence, and maintain their own networks in metro areas. Optus said it will fast-track the number of 5G-enabled sites to reach 1,500 by 2028 and 2,444 by the end of 2030. Optus had opposed Telstra and TPG teaming up two years ago on a network sharing agreement, which was ultimately struck down by the competition tribunal almost a year...