- VodafoneThree officially launches as one of the UK’s biggest networks
- Company promises £11bn investment in UK 5G networks
- Multi-brand strategy will see Vodafone, Three, VOXI, SMARTY and Talkmobile continue, but Three Business and Three Wholesale are no more
VodafoneThree has revealed more details about its new combined offerings as a fully merged UK network giant.
At a launch event in London attended by TechRadar Pro, the newly-merged business walked through its plans to offer nearly 27 million customers across the UK faster and more reliable networks.
This will be offered under a new branding as “The Nation’s Network”, combining the existing Vodafone and Three coverage in a bid to offer 99.95% standalone 5G coverage by 2034.
VodafoneThree and “The Nation’s Network”
The move, which sees the number of UK mobile networks shrink from four to three, sees two of the country’s largest providers make a huge investment into the country’s mobile infrastructure.
Speaking at the launch, VodafoneThree CEO Max Taylor outlined plans to spend £11 billion in spending over the next 10 years, including £1.3 billion over this first year, in what he said was a tangible quarter-by-quarter, year-by-year progress plan.
He added the benefits of the merger will be immediately visible for users, with 7 million Three and SMARTY customers set to see a 20% average speed boost on 4G within the next two weeks thanks to sharing of combined spectrum.
Within the next few months, Taylor added all 27 million Vodafone and Three customers will get access to roam across each other’s networks, meaning users should be automatically connected to the best coverage available at no extra cost, and removing 6,500 sq/km of not spots (equivalent to 10x the size of London) by the end of 2025.
For those eager to try the new network, but with an existing contract on other suppliers, VodafoneThree is offering a seven-day, free, eSIM trial.
Users will be able to access the network on their existing phone and contract, simply by scanning a QR code, with no commitment to sign up at the end of the trial period.
Taylor noted he believes strongly in a multi-brand network, and plans to keep all the existing brands under the company’s umbrella – meaning Vodafone, Three, VOXI, SMARTY and Talkmobile will all still remain.
However, for business-focused offerings, Taylor noted Vodafone will be the only brand going forward, combining units into a single team looking to become the UK’s biggest converged network for business.
It also has big plans for broadband, with VodafoneThree set to combine existing Three mobile broadband with Vodafone’s Full Fibre into a single home broadband portfolio under the Vodafone brand, with one converged brand for both businesses and consumers.
As the two fastest-growing UK broadband providers, the company already has over 2 million customers, and says it is able to bring fibre or fibre-like speeds (up to 2.2Gbps) to 22.5 million homes and businesses – with the goal now of extending this to 100% of UK homes and businesses.
Elsewhere, VodafoneThree says its work to deployment of 5G standalone (SA) networks will create thousands of jobs over its eight-year build period across engineering, construction, and maintenance of telecom towers, fibre optics, and base stations.
The company also plans to open two new customer care centres in Belfast and Sheffield with the next two years (alongside the existing call centres in Stoke and Glasgow), a move which will bring 400 sales and customer service roles back to the UK.
“A new era of connectivity has begun,” declared Taylor. “We will connect every nation, every community, in every corner of the UK. We will build the UK’s best 5G network with an unprecedented £11bn privately funded infrastructure project, laying the digital foundation for our country’s growth ambitions.”
“Benefits for our 27 million mobile customers will start within months, with access to roam across both networks at no extra cost. From big cities to small towns, and everywhere in between, our mission is to build the UK’s best network”.
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