A while back we gave you an overview of everything 4G; we touched on High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) as well as, LG and LTE. As we continue to roll out our HSPA+ network we’re seeing more and more questions from you guys so we thought we’d let you know exactly what it means for you and where we’re currently at with the roll out.
As many of you may know, HSPA+ is the next evolution of 3G technology; it’s designed to carry large amounts of information at higher speeds, so in a nutshell, it means faster access to the mobile internet for our customers. By the end of the year we aim to have rolled HSPA+ out on the majority of our 3G network, we aim to fully complete the roll out early next year. Those of you that are using one of our latest Mobile Broadband products or a Samsung Galaxy SII may have already experienced HSPA+, these devices come fitted with a chipset that allows them to use HSPA+ technologies.
Once you’re online, HSPA+ makes browsing, uploading and downloading smoother and faster too. You’ll find huge improvements in viewing photos, downloading attachments and watching online videos.
When it’s fully rolled out on our network we’ll be able to let you know more details. We’re the UK’s fastest growing mobile network and we were designed for the internet, so we’re really excited to be embarking on this journey. Next stop: LTE trials! I’ll give you an update on that one as soon as I can.
261 Responses to The future of our network.
Moderator: Johanna 12/02/2013
@Tom Paul – I’ve had a look and can see an upgrade is planned but I can’t see any timings I’m afraid. Have you spoken to the team on 333 about Home Signal?
Tom Paul 12/02/2013
The coverage South of Harrogate is very poor. I spend a lot of time in Pannal (HG3 removed by mod) and get an outdoor only signal which makes life extremely difficult. Although I’m a big fan of Three and a customer from your very beginning the UK (a lot of years now!) this is making me wonder whether I can stay with you guys.
Any plans for a mast in this area?
Moderator: Lauren 08/01/2013
@Dan – there’s work due to start tomorrow, there’s also mast upgrades booked for the end of the month. This is subject to change though.
Dan 07/01/2013
Hi
Can you confirm that work on a new mast at [removed by mod] has started please?
I was told by Ellie that work was supposed to commence on the 6th Jan 2013 but Three’s coverage checker it says there is no planned maintenance for my area.
Thanks.
Moderator: Lauren 07/01/2013
@Joe – is it a particular area you’re having issues or all over?
joe 03/01/2013
I have fast speeds at home but when I go out I lose signal in a lot of places. Very annoying
Ellie 02/01/2013
@Dan – We are currently rolling out Ultrafast (DC-HSPDA) internet across our network. This is the next development from H+ so if you have a DC-HSDPA enabled device you can get faster speeds.
I’m afraid it isn’t possible to tell the status of the new mast, if the upgrade is to Ultrafast in your area then the new mast should also be Ultrafast. Do keep an eye on your speeds and let us know if things don’t improve for you.
Dan 31/12/2012
Hi Ellie
Thanks very much for your fast response.
That’s very good news to hear, but please appreciate that I’ve been hearing this every couple of weeks since June and so far haven’t seen any improvement. If this work actually goes ahead I will be very happy!
Can you please tell me what a DC-HSDPA upgrade is? Is this the next development from H+ with a theoretical max of 21 Meg connections or am I mistaking it with something else?
Regarding the new mast close to my house, if it’s a new mast will this likely be a DC-HSDPA capable mast? Can you give me a rough idea of how long a mast usually takes to go live from the date it is installed?
Thanks,
Dan.
Ellie 31/12/2012
@Dan – Sorry to hear you have been experiencing slow download speeds. I have checked the masts in your area and several are due for upgrade on or around 19th January 2013, this could be scheduled maintenance or this could be a DC-HSDPA upgrade. Unfortunately I’m unable to tell which type of upgrade it will be, hopefully the latter! Just to let you know there is also a new mast planned near to your house, work is due to start on 6th January 2013 but there is no completion date listed as of yet. Once the upgrade work is complete and the new mast is live you should see an improvement in coverage and download speeds.
Dan 31/12/2012
Hi
Is the mast upgrade ever going to actually take place at [removed by mod]??
I’ve had this problem since May / June 2012 and all I ever get in response is “next month”, then when the next month rolls around and nothing improves I get told “next month”…
The 3G/H+ is slow to point of being unusable! How has it taken the “Network that was built for the internet” 8 months to upgrade a mast in my area? I’m still waiting for any kind of improvement in service and have now lost any kind of hope that it’ll ever actually happen!
Mods, please, is there an email address or anyone I can contact to make my complaint other than the call centres? I’m sorry but the operators just don’t know anything!
Moderator: Nicki 06/11/2012
@Glen Forde – Hi there, had a look and can see that there’s works taking place at the moment on your local mast. These are due to run from 5th November until 9th November.
Looking at the area though, we only provide a very limited indoor coverage, no faults as such just a limitation of coverage within that area.