You’ll probably have heard in the news today that the Government’s spectrum auction is now over. We’re really happy to be able to confirm that we secured 2 x 5Mhz of 800Mhz spectrum which will compliment the 1800Mhz spectrum that we acquired in 2012.
As we continue to grow our Ultrafast network, this new spectrum means we’ll be able to offer a faster, more reliable internet experience to more people in more places than ever before. We’re the network that was built for data, and our new acquisition is just one of the ways that we’ll keep on improving it.
Here’s what our CEO Dave Dyson had to say this morning:
“We have more than doubled our spectrum holdings in the past 12-months thanks to spectrum acquired at auction and outside the auction process. Doubling our capacity allows us to continue our growth with significant headroom to increase our current base of over 8m customers.
“Consumer appetite for enjoying the internet via mobile devices continues to grow, playing to our strengths. With a significantly increased spectrum holding we will continue to be the competitive force in the UK mobile market,” said Dave Dyson, chief executive officer, Three UK.
97 Responses to Spectrum allocation for Three is confirmed.
Moderator: Lauren 23/05/2013
@Mark – answered your question on another post.
Mark lewis 22/05/2013
When will you be upgrading and sorting out congestion problem on the 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
Lorraine Whitehouse 03/05/2013
@Mark – I am keeping my fingers crossed that this time they have fixed my problem correctly. The £5 compensation is an insult for all the grief they have caused me while trying to fix their problem (not mine). My husband left 3 due to their lack of interest in sorting the mast out (which apparently they didn’t know where it was located – seems strange to me)
Hope yours gets sorted out too.
Mark lewis 29/04/2013
@lorraine – its a common problem with three ive had same trouble for four months just read all the comments, my mates are all in the same boat to. Three just don’t care as long as your still paying. They just pass you back n forrth telling you the same old things while they sit there and do nothing. How about compo for loss of business then three !!
Moderator: Johanna 29/04/2013
@Lorraine Whitehouse – Have you spoken to our customer service team on 333? I’ve looked at the postcode and there are no reported issues, obviously this isn’t the case if you’re unable to get coverage. The team will be able to trouble-shoot for you.
Moderator: Johanna 29/04/2013
@Mark Lewis – Really sorry to hear the network is not good in your area. I’m afraid we can’t access the fix date, the team on 333 are best placed to look into this for you.
Lorraine Whitehouse 27/04/2013
I still have an ongoing issue with the network service in NN4 [Removed by Mod], which for the past 2 months they say they are fixing/fixed/not working again. This is becoming a major issue with me now as i need my phone working for my elderly parents to contact me for problems they have.
Does anyone else have these problems in this area? I have to go 3 miles down the road just to get a signal.
Mark lewis 26/04/2013
I’m still getting slow speeds, call, texts, emails fail, internet connection alway’s timed out and work on mast supposed to have been completed (sa10 removed by mod) but your supposed to be upgrading to cope with congestion when will this be done cause im fed up of it now nearly four months. Surely three responsible now for loss of business this has caused going to start looking into things
Ellie 25/04/2013
Hi Josh – I’ve checked your postcode and I can confirm that there are no reported problems on any of the masts in your area so everything should be working fine. 2-4Mbps isn’t really a ‘slow’ speed, it’s actually quite a good speed which should allow you to have a good browsing experience. You will need a Ultrafast compatible device to connect to our Ultrafast network, speeds on Ultrafast will also vary depending on factors such as the number of masts, your proximity to the masts and the number of people using each mast.
Ellie 25/04/2013
@Ricky – Hi Ricky, no the HTC One X isn’t compatible with Ultrafast. It’s difficult to say if your connection will speed up, speed depends on a lot of factors including the number of masts, proximity to mast and the number of people using the mast at any one time. If you’d like me to check your coverage please send a full postcode (we won’t publish it).
Josh 24/04/2013
Yes all gd now. At work the speeds seems to be slow at 2-4 mbps. [removed by mod]. The area is even dc-hsdpa
Ricky Kemp 24/04/2013
I understand my htc one x isn’t compatible with your ultrafast network. Will my connection speed up at all?
Moderator: Lauren 23/04/2013
@Mark – I’m afraid that’s the team you’ll need to speak with if you’re experiencing network issues in your area.
Mark lewis 23/04/2013
@lauren – i’ve been phoning those four times a week for past three months, technical team been in touch and nothings ever done, was promised by whatever manager spoke to me that i’d have my credit add ons refunded as i havent had service and bad customer care and supprise supprise aint had that, to be honest that 333 no help at all goes out to some pakistan call centre where they clearly dont understand english language speaking to those four times a week is enough to put anyone in a mental unit , all i want is my service back to high speeds and the compensation for no service for three months and bad customer care which i was promised. Three months surely thats more than enough time to install ultrafast to area and upgrade capacity!!
Moderator: Lauren 23/04/2013
@Mark – I’m sorry to read you’re having issues, if you speak to our network team by calling 333 or 0843 373 3333 they can look in to this for you.
Mark lewis 22/04/2013
@nicki, it never speeds up the network so slow i’m getting my emails two days late, my texts fail, calls fail mid conversation can’t acsess any apps due to lack of internet and it’s been like this for well over three months it’s an absolute joke surely three months you’d have your ultrafast installed and upgraded to cope what hell do you pay your technical guys to do, sitting at the masts drinking coffee probably while we pay for services we dont recieve, you come live in this busy area for three months and see how worked up you get about not being able to use your device no internet, calls, emails or texts
Moderator: Nicki 22/04/2013
@Mark lewis – No faults or any works in your area at the moment. The issue is related to congestion within the area. It’s something we’re aware of and we’re current looking at the possibility of a capacity upgrade for the area. While I wish we could flick a switch and make it all better straight away, it does take some planning and redesign I’m afraid so no confirmed date as yet. At busier times you’ll find it slower than normal while more users connect to the services.
Regarding compensation, what was this for? Was it something offered via 333? If so it would be added to your account there and then but would only be visible to you when your next bill is produced. You can then view the credit on the pdf of your bill at My3.
Moderator: Nicki 22/04/2013
@Josh – Hi, there was some work taking place over the past few days. Have you now seen any improvement?
Mark lewis 19/04/2013
Nicki wants postcode to tell me the same thing i’m always told lol [removed by Mod] let’s hear it again then : mast in your area had problems which have supposed to have been fixed , still waiting for credit compensation i was promised to
Mark lewis 19/04/2013
@andy b i know what you mean mate i’m an iphone 5 user and in an ultrafast area and for past three months i cant even get over 2mbs i complain at least four times a week and it’s always same text book answer stick with us we’re aware of problem best thing about it they have now supposed to have fixed problem but speeds are worse cant get near 1m bs now
Ros 19/04/2013
@Andy B – Hi. Sorry to hear this. Have you spoken to the Network Team on 333 about this at all?
Josh 19/04/2013
Hi there, whats happening at [removed by Mod] as there is no service. Just seen one of your guys on the mast and was wondering will it be fixed today? Thanks
Andy B 18/04/2013
And the network performance will still be rubbish. How do 3 get away with that advertising? Anyone want to join me in a complaint to the ASA? Galaxy SII, showing H+ all the way – with no functional connection anywhere between Camden Town and somewhere around New Cross and then limping along at speeds that would embarrass 56k dial-up modem. I have to restart the phone half-a-dozen times a day just to try and keep some kind of data connection pretty much anywhere in the London area, and the service in central London an absolute joke. .
Moderator: Nicki 18/04/2013
@Mark lewis – We’ve hd to edit your blog post as we do not permit such language or comments regarding our staff.
With regards to the issues you’re having can you please supply your full postcode and we’ll check for an update – don’t worry we won’t publish your postcode.
Thanks
Mark lewis 17/04/2013
Been speaking to the four times a week for past three months and still havent got anywhere, this is by far the worst network can understand why your tarriffs are so cheap. Not exactly difficult to give good customers service why cant i speak to an english person instead of some [removed by Mod] who clearly does not understand english!! Keep getting told mast is being repaired give us a week. Your speeds are a joke iphone 5 on ultrafast clocking speeds of a whoping 1mbs ping of 155
Moderator: Johanna 16/04/2013
@Mark Lewis – Really sorry to hear you’re having network issues. It sounds like you’re already speaking to our customer service team who have the latest info on network issues and updates.
Mark lewis 16/04/2013
Sa10 [removed by Mod] when are you going to fix this !! Speeds of 1mbs and less on iphone 5, sim swap done, network reset done, restore in itunes done, turn off and on done, technical team rang no help, but the mast has been down for over two months!!
Mark lewis 15/04/2013
Still getting really low internet speeds, calls and texts failing everything coming through to my phone two days late whats your problem ten weeks now if you need post code its sa10 [removed by Mod] sort it out instead of telling me 7 days all the time ive taken it probably as high as i can with three so ombudsman and courts next!!!
Ros 27/03/2013
@Scott – Hi there, that can’t be good! I’ve checked out your postcode and there are no reported issues with any of the masts in your area, so I’m not sure what could be leading to the poor quality calls. I would advise giving the technical team a call on 333 to discuss with them. Hope it’s sorted for you.
Ros 27/03/2013
@Hirah Adam Essack – Hi there, I’ve checked out your postcode and can see one of the masts in your area is due for an upgrade on 14/04/2013, you should see an improvement in speeds after this.
Scott 26/03/2013
Hi guys, can you take a look at the masts near cv4 9as please, both my girlfriend and I are getting poor quality calls on our iPhone 4s’s. calls are similar to talking to Norman Collier with his faulty microphone!
Hirah Adam Essack 25/03/2013
Can someone check [removed], the speed is soo slow, the web pages take ages to load, what is up with the speed? i’m getting something like 30kb or less for the past few days now
Moderator: Johanna 25/03/2013
@Josh – I’ve had a look and there are no new masts planned, which should mean the new mast has been introduced. If you’re having any kind of issues give the team on 333 a call to discuss.
Moderator: Johanna 25/03/2013
@Lukers – Apologies, there is a faulty mast within your postcode. The team are aware of it and it will be fully up and running again by April 14th. If it’s severely impacting your service have a chat to the team on 333.
josh 25/03/2013
Hi, any updates for cv3[removed by mod]. Heard that there was going to be a new mast but that was in december.
lukers 25/03/2013
Hi since few day I have no or very poor signal in my area post code bn2[removed by Mod]. Can you let me know if there are any maintenance work in progress? If so where my phone will be usable again. Please let me know on my email adrress. Thanks
Moderator: Johanna 19/03/2013
@Greg Collier – That’s great so you’ll be able to make the most of our Ultrafast network as soon as you get your iPhone 5
When LTE comes to Three it’ll just be an added bonus.
Greg Collier 19/03/2013
I’m getting the iPhone 5 really soon and I’m in the area for the faster version of 3G (DC HSDPA or something or rather) I really hope EE doesn’t wait to the last minute to (Sept 2013) to release the first chunk of 4G bands for Three to use. The last thing I want to to is switch to EE for overpriced 4G service when 3 has been serving me exceptionally well since 2004!!
Moderator: Lauren 18/03/2013
@Ricky – HTC One X’s aren’t compatible with Ultrafast I’m afraid.
test 17/03/2013
Well I definitely enjoyed studying it. This article procured by you is very useful for proper planning.
Ricky Kemp 16/03/2013
Will my HTC one X be able to use your ultrafast network when it’s available in northern Ireland.
Kind Regards
Ricky (contract phone)
Moderator: Johanna 13/03/2013
@Russell – I’m afraid we don’t have timings for when masts are being upgraded. If this is your home address it’s worth chatting to the team on 333 about Home Signal.
Moderator: Johanna 13/03/2013
@Mark Lewis – Sorry to hear that Mark. I’m afraid we can’t reveal in advance where Ultrafast is being rolled out but it will cover 80% of the network by the end of this month. Check in with the team on 333 if these issues continue.
Russell 12/03/2013
Hi, can you tell me if there are any upcoming plans to improve coverage in IP2[removed by Mod] outdoor is absolutely fine, but inside the building its difficult.
Mark lewis 12/03/2013
The mast in my area been down for a while sa1[Removed by Mod] can you tell me if their installing ultrafast, it kind of sucks having the iphone 5 and having speeds of 1mbs for six weeks and most your calls and texts fail
Moderator: Nicki 11/03/2013
@gaz – Hi there, the phone will still display H+ and won’t change to reflect if you’re receiving DC-HSDPA.. The best way of knowing if you’re receiving DC-HSDPA is reflected in your speeds. The realistic speeds for DC-HSDPA is 11 – 12Mbps.
Moderator: Nicki 11/03/2013
@Scott – I’ve had a look at our coverage checker and can see Ultrafast is enabled in your area. We’re currently selling the Ultrafast versions of the Galaxy SIII and Note II on our website and both will work with LTE when it’s launched.