We’re already starting to see the fruits of Vodafone’s merger with Three, as the combined network has announced that more than 600 sites now provide combined coverage – meaning both Three and Vodafone customers can connect to them.
That number should rise to 9,000 within 12 months of when this merger completed, providing improved 4G and 5G coverage for customers of both networks across the UK, as customers will automatically connect to whichever one has the best coverage in the area.
On the 5G front, VodafoneThree claims this will mean that around 71% of the UK population (roughly 50 million people) will have access to its fastest 5G speeds within 12 months of this combined network forming.
As well as improved coverage, this should also boost speeds and reliability, especially at busy times such as rush hour – now, customers can be moved from busy sites to less crowded ones, thereby providing a better experience for all the combined network’s customers.
Focused on 4G too
And while our focus here is 5G, this shared network access has also meant that customers across the UK have seen their 4G speeds boosted by 20% on average, with some areas seeing a speed boost of up to 40%.
Additional improvements in the first 12 months of VodafoneThree’s merged existence should bring 4G coverage to 16,500km of the UK where it wasn’t previously available on either Vodafone or Three, thereby getting rid of not spots across an area that’s ten times the size of London.
Andrea Donà, Chief Network Officer at VodafoneThree, said: “Bringing our networks together marks a major milestone for VodafoneThree, unlocking greater capacity, reducing 4G not spots, and expanding 5G coverage.
“Just weeks into the rollout, millions of customers are already seeing the benefits of a nationwide boost, powered by our spectrum integration and Multi-Operator Core Network technology. It’s a clear signal of VodafoneThree’s ambition and ability to move at pace to deliver a new era of connectivity.”
So between sharing its existing networks and ramping up on building new sites, VodafoneThree could soon deliver a dramatically improved experience for its customers. And this will also benefit other VodafoneThree brands, including Smarty, VOXI, and Talkmobile.
