Three UK today revealed significant enhancement in 5G network coverage and quality of its existing 4G network.
5G network
Three UK announced that its 5G network has reached 193 towns and 1,250 5G sites.
Three now has 1,250 5G sites in 193 towns and cities, including Brentwood, Chorley and Gateshead, as part of a 5-year program to deliver the UK’s fastest 5G network.
This is up from 1,000 sites at the end of last year with hundreds more sites expected to come online before the end of 2021.
4G connectivity
In addition, the company added 20MHz of 1400MHz spectrum to 1500 sites in Three UK’s portfolio to enhance 4G connectivity. Three UK said the investment in network will increase download speeds by up to 3 times for approximately 4 million customers.
In addition to the capacity benefits the 1400MHz spectrum is great for improving both outdoor and indoor coverage. More sites will go live throughout 2021.
Approximately 4 million customers with a 1400MHz band capable device will benefit from the speed improvement when connecting to a site with the technology. Devices include Apple iPhone 11 and 12 ranges, Google Pixel range and Samsung’s Galaxy S8, S9, S9, S10 S20, S21 ranges; as well as the OnePlus and Oppo devices.
The improvements are all part of Three UK’s £2 billion Capex investment in transforming its Network and IT infrastructure, Susan Buttsworth, chief operating officer at Three UK, said.
Backhaul
Three UK has added 10Gbps backhaul to more than 3200 sites boosting experience for Three UK’s 4G and 5G customers.
The business has upgraded 3,200 sites with 10Gbps transmission, a 20 fold increase in backhaul capacity, which will improve both 4G and 5G speeds.
Three’s 5G home broadband coverage is also growing with 1.6M households covered by its service, which is delivering superfast download speeds over wireless.
The majority of voice traffic is now support on the 4G network with significant improvements in voice quality and clarity.
As part of the first stage of the Shared Rural Network (SRN), Three UK is now building 74 new sites in partnership with O2 and Vodafone to deliver a total of 222 new mobile masts to boost rural coverage across the United Kingdom. The construction of the new masts will commence in 2021 and is scheduled to be completed by 2024.
The average data usage, per customer, per month has surpassed 17GB during the UK’s third lockdown in January 2021. Customer usage has grown in the last year with average data usage, per customer, per month, increasing by 53 percent.
Network demand peaked on 28 January due to streaming of the Tottenham vs Liverpool premier league match. In the last year, peak demand has increased by 37 percent.
