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Three is on a five-year mission to deliver the UK’s fastest 5G network, and in its latest network and IT update it has outlined some of the ways it’s recently been working towards that – including the roll out of high-speed, high-capacity fibre.
It’s connected 3500 of its mast sites to fibre capable of 10Gbps transmission, and while that doesn’t mean you’ll be getting 10Gbps 5G speeds to your phone (after all, the fibre only carries the signal from the core network to the mast – the rest is done over the air) it will allow for a faster and more reliable 5G experience – as well as boosting 4G.
Three has also built 1300 5G sites in total so far, so its 5G network is quite widespread already (with 194 UK towns and cities having access to the speedy connectivity at last count), but you can expect it to continue to grow quickly.
Timed right to meet demand
The demand placed on Three’s network continues to grow too, hitting an all-time high on April 6, during the Liverpool and Manchester United Champions League matches, so this upgrade work is all the more important, as it will help the network reliably keep up with increased demands.
And while our focus here is 5G, it’s worth noting that Three has also now brought its 1400Mhz spectrum to 1900 sites – an upgrade which doubles the 4G network capacity at these sites, and which could increase 4G download speeds by up to three times.
So if you’re on Three then you may find that your network experience – on both 5G and 4G – is better than ever, and with the company’s ongoing £2 billion+ investment into transforming its network and IT infrastructure, this could be just the start.
Of course, Three isn’t alone in rapidly improving its network – all four of the UK’s major networks secured new spectrum at the recent auction, O2 and Vodafone recently traded spectrum to optimise its placement, and EE is constantly reporting new places that it’s brought 5G to, so whichever network you’re on you’re sure to see regular improvements.
