Ericsson noted that this initiative will result in Europe’s largest core network
U.K. carrier Three UK has chosen Ericsson to develop its next-generation cloud-native core network.
In a release, Ericsson noted that this initiative will result in Europe’s largest core network, with capacity expanding more than threefold to 9 terabits per second (Tbps).
In December 2024, data usage on Three’s network exceeded 2Tbps. This milestone was achieved just over two years after the network reached 1Tbps, a benchmark that took nearly two decades to attain, Ericsson said. The surge in data usage reflects the growing demand for streaming, gaming and home broadband services, according to the Nordic vendor.
According to a recent analysis by Enders Analysis, Three’s customers used an average of 31.5GB of data per month in 2024, an 18% year-on-year increase and more than double the national average.
The new core network, based on Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core technology and supported by its Cloud Native Infrastructure solution, will leverage Three’s nationwide distributed data center network. This setup will bring the core network closer to users, potentially reducing latency and improving performance, the vendor said.
Ericsson also noted its core network technology offers operational benefits, including the ability to scale capacity to meet future demands; improved network stability with reduced downtime; enhanced network insights to manage traffic more effectively; the capability to perform software upgrades without disrupting network operations and improved energy efficiency through advanced technological upgrades
The infrastructure and core network are already being installed in Three’s data centers, with partial operations expected to begin later this year. A phased migration of all traffic to the new network will take place over the coming years, the vendor said.
Iain Milligan, chief network officer at Three, said: “The last few years have seen a tsunami of data growth with traffic at peak times doubling in a little over two years driven by home broadband, streaming and gaming usage on our network grow faster than ever. Our new core network with Ericsson ensures we are able to support our customers’ data usage over the medium and long-term.”
Katherine Ainley, CEO of Ericsson UK and Ireland, said: “This project is a significant milestone in our collaboration, and we’re excited to help Three build a new Core network to meet the ever-growing data demands of its customers.”
The competition regulator noted that the network commitment would be supported by shorter term customer protections which would require the merged company to cap certain mobile tariffs and offer preset contractual terms to mobile virtual network operators, for a period of three years.
In 2023, Vodafone Group and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings had entered into binding agreements in relation to a combination of their telecommunication businesses in the U.K. Under the terms of the deal, Vodafone will own 51% of the new entity while Hutchison Group will own 49%. The merger is expected to be fully completed during the first half of 2025.
