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Three now has 100MHz of contiguous 5G spectrum with which to launch services later this year
Three UK saw revenues edge up by 1 per cent to close out the financial year at £2.4 billion.
Three UK enjoyed a successful and steady 2018/2019, surpassing 11.3 million subscribers, 84 per cent of whom were using the company’s 4G networks.
In late 2018, Three UK added 20MHz of 5G spectrum in the 3.4GHz band, bringing its total 5G spectrum holding to 100MHz – the biggest of any UK mobile network operator.
“Three is fully embracing a business transformation to take maximum advantage of the opportunities digital businesses enjoy. 2018 was the year when we set the foundations in place for us to jump up to the next level and become the UK’s best-loved brand by our people and customers, meeting all our customers’ connectivity needs.
“UK consumers have an insatiable appetite for data and 5G is the key to delivering on that demand in a quality and cost-effective way. We acquired an extra 20MHz of 5G spectrum in the 2018 5G spectrum auction to secure a commanding lead on 5G spectrum assets and we are the only operator in the UK that can take advantage of the full potential of 5G," said Three UK’s CEO, Dave Dyson.
Three UK is positioning itself as one of the UK’s first movers for 5G and has spent the last year perfecting its fully virtualised 5G core. Dyson said that Three UK’s customers can expect to feel the benefit of deployment later in 2019.
“Another significant piece of the technology strategy, that is designed to deliver on customer expectations, comes in the form of a brand-new Cloud-based digital IT infrastructure that provides flexibility, scalability and efficiencies. This has been under development for the last 2 years’, but we have made good progress and our customers and our staff will start to see the significant benefits of this from mid-2019.
“Despite this investment in technology for the future potential of the business, we have improved our profitability and delivered a consistent financial performance through a rigorous approach to cost control," he added.
5G requirements for transport networks
