Sprint signed a deal covering access to US cable company Cox Communications’ broadband infrastructure, in a move to accelerate its network densification effort.

The multi-year agreement is part of a patent dispute settlement between the two companies which Sprint said will also strengthen business ties in other, unnamed, areas. The deal is similar to one Sprint inked with Altice USA in November 2017, which Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said would allow the operator to deploy “thousands” of new small cells without encountering traditional regulatory hurdles around siting.

Sprint said the Cox Communications pact will “significantly accelerate” deployment of new macro towers and small cell solutions across the country.

In a statement, Sprint CTO John Saw added the deal is “another opportunity to work with a strategic partner to accelerate our densification plans to improve our network performance and experience for Sprint customers throughout Cox’s national territory.”

Following the collapse of merger negotiations with T-Mobile US in November 2017, Sprint unveiled plans to pour between $5 billion and $6 billion into its network in 2018. In addition to densifying its small cell network, Sprint executives have said the operator will add a “few thousand” new towers across its footprint and push tri-band spectrum capabilities across all its sites.