Since our launch in 2003 we’ve been focused on building a mobile network for easy access to the internet. We’re not afraid to say that we <3 it. Right from the start, it’s what we were built for. And we know you’ve all been chomping at the bit for an update on our network story so without further ado, let me put you in the picture.
In our last network blog post we talked about our advanced and award winning network. We’d been busy rolling out HSPA+, which has now made fast internet access available to almost 90% of the UK population.
But we haven’t stopped there; we want to be able to offer Ultrafast internet. To do this, we’re deploying DC-HSDPA technology in our network and increasing the speed of our big data pipes, that connect everything back to the internet.
In 2013, we’ll add LTE to our Ultrafast network to increase our capacity even more. Our Ultrafast network will give you guys even faster browsing, social networking and downloading. You’ll also enjoy increased speeds that will be more than enough for data-hungry services like HD video streaming.
By the end of 2012 we aim to have Ultrafast internet rolled out to over half of the UK population, with more than 80% of the population covered by April 2013. In fact, right now, 39% of the population already have access to our Ultrafast network, with coverage available in 50 of the UK’s biggest cities and towns. Which is good, because we’ve added a million customers in the past year.
All You Can Eat data is the perfect partner for our Ultrafast network, so it’s easy to see why we carry over 40% of the UK’s mobile data traffic.
We already have a number of devices that are Ultrafast compatible – iPhone 5, the new iPad, E2356 dongle, Sony Xperia T and Windows Phone 8X. So if you’re using any of these in an area where this has already been rolled out, you’re going to enjoy even better internet speeds.
To check if this Ultrafast network has been rolled out in your area, click here.
439 Responses to The roll-out of Ultrafast on Three.
Moderator: Lauren 20/06/2013
@Mark – there’s no reported faults in the area, there’s some work going on in July which may improve things.
Mark 18/06/2013
Still poor service at [removed by mod] when are you actually going to fix it ? Supposed to have had ultrafast and new masts but signal and speeds are the worst they have ever been ultrafast is a joke(only available to contract users)
Moderator: Nicki 14/06/2013
@Teri Scott – Hi there, sorry you’re having issues with your coverage. Looking at your postcode there’s a fault that’s been logged on your local mast. It’s something our network guys are aware of and working on.
The time it takes to fix a faulty mast really depends on nature of fault, if a site visit is needed, if the landlord needs a certain length of notice for visits, if other comms companies need to attend, and if new equipment is needed etc. There’s no 1 size fits all answer I’m afraid but it’s only in our best interest for it to be as soon as possible.
Sorry for the disruption.
Teri Scott 14/06/2013
Hey, we live in [removed by mod] and we cannot get signal anymore until we leave the village by a couple miles. What gives? This is getting old. I had been told there was a mast problem in our area, but it was better. Now it is very no bueno. And the not-so-awesome tech support refused to check the masts in our area, making me factory reset my phone instead. Please help, I need to know when our phones will work again or to move to a new network. A couple weeks of this is longer than we can take already.
Moderator: Nicki 12/06/2013
@Scott – Hi there, we wanted to announce our contract prices first. We’re working on how best to apply the same principles to all of our other products.
Scott 11/06/2013
Hi, will ultrafast and 4g be available on pay as you go? considering a move to 3, thanks.
Moderator: Johanna 30/05/2013
@Mark Lewis – Morning, I’ve had a look and there are no longer any new masts in planning. They could either have been introduced or the plans have changed. Apologies if you are still having signal issues. The team on 333 are the best team to speak to as they are a dedicated customer service team.
Mark lewis 28/05/2013
Lauren you say there are two new masts planned for my area sa[removed by mod] but when i phone 333 to report poor signal, internet and call drop they say this isnt true, dont any of you guys at three actually know whats going on ? I was also told that ultrafast is only available to contract users
Moderator: Lauren 28/05/2013
@Dan I’m afraid Ultrafast Internet isn’t available in that area at the moment
Feel free to keep checking back though because we’re improving our coverage all the time. Here’s a link for our coverage checker, just in case you’d rather keep an on it yourself 
http://www.three.co.uk/Support/Coverage
Dan 27/05/2013
Is the ultra fast network rolled out in Enfield north London (removed by mod) I’m looking to move to three as it looks cheap but would like fast Internet !! Thanks dan
Moderator: Lauren 27/05/2013
@Kev – I’m unable to see any faults in the area however the signal isn’t the strongest there. There’s no new masts planned for the area for now.
Kev 23/05/2013
Lauren it’s [removed by mod] and [removed by mod].both affected. Thanks.
Moderator: Lauren 23/05/2013
@Kev Could you provide me with your full postcode in South Ayrshire so I can look into this for you please? We won’t publish it so don’t worry about that.
Moderator: Lauren 23/05/2013
@mark I have checked the service in your area and there are no problems with the masts reported. There are two new masts planned for the area however we don’t have a date for this yet.
Kev 23/05/2013
Previous comment mistake, I tried sim in my old HTC One ‘S’ is what it should say. Thanks.
Kev 23/05/2013
I’ve been having nothing but problems since upgrading to an HTC One on the ultrafast network. Even when I have full bars of signal, my data connection flashes and sends data for up to a minute before receiving any. It will then work for 20 seconds or so before doing the same delay again. It’s frustrating as hell as my old HTC One works perfectly with same SIM in it in the exact same area (maybe as it’s not DC-HSPDA compatible?). I’ve noticed it in a lot of areas, but then there are tiny spots where I get constant data. I’m at my wit’s end and have tried everything, even a replacement HTC One. Customer service have been useless so far which is disappointing. They keep telling me to try the obvious things, but I know what I’m doing so it’s pretty much non-info for me. Hopefully it improves and is just an Ultrafast glitch. I live in South Ayrshire by the way, but had same problem in Wetherby at the weekend.
Mark lewis 22/05/2013
When will you be upgrading and sorting out congestion problem on mast speeds still slow five months on, postcode is [removed by mod]. Its not the phone done all resets, sim swap, and its the 4g iphone 5
Moderator: Nicki 17/05/2013
@Richard – Loving the speeds! Thanks for the feedback and have a great weekend
Richard 16/05/2013
Ladies and Gentlemen – I don’t know what all the fuss is about – good things come to those who wait !!! I’ve been patiently waiting!
According to the Three coverage checker I cannot get Ultrafast and the masts in my area are not Ultrafast yet.
Luckily for me it appears over the last few weeks I now regularly get up to 28meg on my Note 2 LTE and 14-18 meg consistently at home on my e3276 4G ready Three home broadband – It looks like Three have recently been ‘tinkering’ with the masts / infrastructure in my area and have not declared it yet on the checker !
Thank you and keep up all the good work !!! Roll on LTE !!
Richard
NI
Moderator: Nicki 15/05/2013
@JP Heron – Hi there, every network will have their own coverage areas and coverage can vary from network to network depending on the locations of the masts and your positioning in relation to that mast.
JP Heron 15/05/2013
I have a Iphone 5 and live in Newcastle upon Tyne. I never get speeds anywhere in the city above 3 – 4 mps. My mother is on EE Iphone 5 and gets speeds of 18Mbs, significant difference! why?
Moderator: Nicki 15/05/2013
@Jason – I’ve checked your postcode and can see the postcode receives a limited indoor signal with some good outdoor coverage. Within your property you’ll find that your coverage will vary from room to room with certain areas within your property being better than others.
Although there are currently no faults within the area, as I say it’s not the strongest coverage area. There’s also a million and one external factors that can affect your coverage – for details of this and steps that can be taken to improve your coverage check our guide here.
Moderator: Nicki 15/05/2013
@Jason – Speed can be affected by lots of things. Could well be the area you stay in, limitations in the area, your surroundings, environment, number of users in area, weather conditions, your distance from a mast, construction of the building, temporary structures etc … basically anything between you and the mast creates an obstacle for the signal in reaching you. This then affects the speeds you receive.
What’s your full postcode and I’ll have a look at the area for you.
Jason 14/05/2013
Oh and my daughter’s phones on o2 and tmobile regularly average around 5mbps download with a iphone 4s and a HTC one x+. I’m seriously thinking of switching. Postcode [removed by Mod]
Jason 14/05/2013
In Beverley East Yorkshire, I am currently geeting 324kbps download with a Nexus 4, which is superfast compatible. Thats rubbish. In York my same device hit 18mbps.I never get more than 2mbps where I live in Beverley..I’ve got no confidence that LTE will be any better when it arrives… Why is Beverley so slow when you tell me I live in an area where DC hspa+ speeds are available ??
Moderator: Nicki 14/05/2013
@robert leitch – Hi there, yep the Ultrafast version of the Note 2 will be LTE compatible. At the moment it’ll work on DC-HSDPA speeds and then when LTE is released later this year it’ll work on this as well.
Moderator: Nicki 13/05/2013
@Grahame – Hi there, I think I answered this via email this morning in response to your Facebook support tab submission. Please let us know if you have any further questions
robert leitch 13/05/2013
thinking of getting note 2 ultrafast from 3 does that mean it will b 4g compatible ?
Grahame 13/05/2013
Hi peeps at three quick question im 1 year into a 2 year contract and i want to buy a iphone 5 can i get ultrafast and lte when its out on the one plan im on or is it extra and i have to wait till my contract is up ?
And also is it still going to be all you can eat
Thanks
Gray
Manj 25/04/2013
Is ultrafast available on pay as you go
Tam Keir 25/04/2013
Sometimes I can’t believe what I am reading at times in this blog. It seems everybody is blowing the same trumpet at Three these days. We have somebody who is told by three customer services that his Note 2 would be ultrafast capable when it isn’t. And whats the reply ? Ohhh you should be happy with 2 – 3 mbs of speed anyway and who gives a monkeys if you were told the wrong info about the product. How the hell is Three getting away with this time and time again. They should be getting offered a refund and a promise that better training for their staff will be of the upmost concern. You’re customer services are giving wrong information time and time again and people are expected just to accept it and get on with receiving the slow signal they were hoping to improve on. Treating customers in this manner is sure to drive them to other networks. And I really am getting fed up reading that a mast is due an upgrade ( that could be three months or three years) or that it is congested or too many people are using it. I have an idea–why not erect masts than can cope and why can’t those massive pipes you boasted do their job. Three is slowly returning to the bad old days of poor reception and customer services–it needs sorted out ultrafast–or will I just have to accept it as we keep getting told.
Ellie 25/04/2013
Hi Winston – I’m afraid according to Samsung’s technical specification for this device, it is not Ultrafast compatible, sorry if you were told the wrong information. 2-3Mbps download speed is a good speed and should give you a good browsing experience though.
winston 24/04/2013
Hi I was told by three customer services that my note 2 gt-n7100 was ultrafast compatible. But im certainly not receiving the speeds posted on the ultrafast info page infact im getting on average of about 2-3mb download speeds I mean im not complaining but you should post model numbers next to phones on the sales page with a drop down of full specifications. But anyways is my note 2 ultrafast ready?
mike 23/04/2013
The table above is out of date…please put details from april 2013 onwards.
Thankyou
shahrukh 12/04/2013
hey
hello
bye
Richard 08/04/2013
The table above and supporting narrative is now out of date – can the table be updated for April 2013 onwards or the next planned ‘Ultrafast’ roll out – (The cities in the table presumably allready being upgraded to Ultrafast as planned.)
Northern Ireland in particular is distinctly lacking in information.
Moderator: Johanna 08/04/2013
@Craig – Ultrafast is the term we’re using for our newly upgraded network, this includes the DC-HSDPA roll-out and will include LTE/4G later this year!
craig 05/04/2013
Is the ultrafast network an equivalent to 4G?
Ellie 05/04/2013
@Shane – If you device is DC-HSDPA enabled then this will work on our Ultrafast network, but you’ll need to be in an Ultrafast area to take advantage of the faster speeds.