Three UK is transforming its network and IT infrastructure to deliver a market-leading customer experience and ensure better connectivity, every day for every customer. This forms part of a £2bn+ investment to significantly transform Three’s network, increasing 4G speeds by up to 150% as well as delivering the UK’s fastest 5G network.

Three’s network technology uses the UK’s leading 5G spectrum portfolio with 100MHz of contiguous 3.4-3.8GHz spectrum which is required to meet the ITU’s standard for 5G in combination with the world’s first fully virtualised cloud core network with Nokia.

VoLTE rollout completed across Three’s 4G network

Back in 2015, Three became the first network to launch VoLTE (Voice calls on our 4G network) and this month, it has extended the rollout across its entire 4G network.

We now have over 11,000 sites enabling VoLTE on the 4G 1800/2100 MHz spectrum which will help improve customer experience. In the past, customers could find themselves dropping back to 3G, but with VoLTE now enabled, this will not happen.

Additionally VoLTE call speech quality is more reliable than 3G and it can be further enhanced with the use of Enhanced Voice Speech (EVS), which Three is planning to introduce later this year.

With over 7.5 million customers owning VoLTE enabled devices on the Three Network, over 80% of our customers will benefit from these improvements.

£100m investment to enhance connectivity across 250 UK towns and cities

Last month, Three UK entered into a £100m infrastructure investment agreement with SSE Enterprise Telecoms to enhance connectivity and deliver the UK’s fastest 5G network across hundreds of towns and cities.

In addition, as part of the second phase of the network rollout, SSE Enterprise Telecoms will deliver over 450 unbundled BT Exchanges across the UK. The associated fibre connectivity will be linked into Three UK’s network, meaning a faster, more reliable experience for our customers.

This will mean SSE Enterprise Telecoms’ fibre network, which currently stretches across 20,000 km, will reach over 30,000 km, providing a unique high capacity and resilient network for all of Three UK’s customers.

Three UK further diversifies its fibre backhaul capability

Earlier this month Three UK announced it has entered into an agreement with Colt Technology Services for it to become a preferred provider of fibre backhaul connectivity.

Colt’s technology will provide 20 times more backhaul capacity on the sites it is being deployed on giving customers a faster, better and more reliable experience.

Fibre backhaul is a vital part of delivering a great network experience and the technology will complement the recent upgrades to over 4000 sites with improved 4G, fully virtualized core network, 20 new data centres and 5G in over 100 locations.

Belinda Finch appointed as Three UK Chief Information Officer

Last month, Three UK announced the appointment of Belinda Finch as its new Chief Information Officer, responsible for its Digital and ICT strategy.

Belinda will be bringing together all existing IT functions at Three UK under one management team. In this new role, she will be responsible for delivering the final stages of our IT transformation programme, working with Three’s product teams to drive system improvements that will drive a better customer experience.

Belinda has a wealth of experience in telecommunications and utilities infrastructure, having previously held a Group CIO and Chief of Staff role at Centrica, and 8 years in digital transformation roles at Vodafone.

Peter Gilson appointed as Three UK Director of RAN

Three also announces that Peter Gilson has taken on the role of Director of RAN, responsible for the design, build and performance of Three UK’s network.

With more than 20 years of industry experience with roles for telecoms operators and vendors, Peter took on his current role in September 2020 having most recently worked at O2, managing the relationship with Vodafone and Cornerstone as part of their network sharing agreement.