VodafoneThree noted that more than 7 million Three and Smarty customers have already seen average 4G speed improvements of 20%, and up to 40% in some areas
In sum – what to know:
600 shared network sites live – VodafoneThree activates joint network access for Vodafone and Three customers, aiming for 9,000 sites within a year.
4G speed boosts – More than 7 million customers report average 20% faster 4G speeds, up to 40% in some areas, due to spectrum integration.
Expanded coverage – Plans to remove 4G “not spots” covering 16,500 sq. km and extend 5G to 71% of UK population by year’s end.
U.K. carrier VodafoneThree has begun enabling automatic network sharing between Vodafone and Three customers, the telco said in a release.
The integration, using multi-operator core network technology, has been activated at more than 600 sites so far, with more than 9,000 expected within the first year. The rollout is part of an £11 billion ($14.8 billion) investment plan.
According to the company, more than 7 million Three and Smarty customers have already seen average 4G speed improvements of 20%, and up to 40% in some areas, due to combined spectrum use. The telco noted that the move aims to reduce areas without 4G coverage, improve network capacity, and expand 5G access to an estimated 71% of the U.K. population by the end of the first year.
In total, VodafoneThree expects to eliminate 4G coverage gaps across approximately 16,500 sq. km of the U.K. and expand high-speed 5G availability to around 50 million people.
The merger between Vodafone and Three UK was completed in June 2025. The £16.5 billion ($20.96 billion) merger created the largest telco in the country, with 29 million mobile customers. VodafoneThree is 51% owned by Vodafone Group and 49% owned by CK Hutchison Group (CKHGT), part of CK Hutchison, parent to Three.
The other major national operator in the UK is Virgin Media O2 (VMO2), a 2021 joint venture between Telefonica’s O2 and Liberty Global’s Virgin Media businesses in the U.K.
VodafoneThree said it will invest £11 billion over the next 10 years to create “one of Europe’s most advanced 5G networks.” It will invest £1.3 billion ($1.65 billion) in capex in its first year, it said, to kickstart its joint 5G Standalone (5G SA) deployment. The combined business is expected to deliver cost and capex synergies of £700 million ($889 million) per annum by June 2029, when the transaction is accretive to Vodafone’s adjusted free cash flow.
