Three UK has said that its 4G service will receive a 50 percent speed boost and improved reliability following the rollout of new spectrum.
The operator claimed that the additional 5MHz of 1800MHz spectrum, which forms part of an ongoing rollout of extra spectrum on its network, would help improve the reliability, performance and capacity of its LTE service nationwide.
It will also improve network reliability in congested areas in particular by adding some “much-needed” capacity, Three said.
A recent report on the UK’s mobile market by Rootmetrics ranked Three second for overall network performance. However, it noted that the operator is coming under pressure by rivals in terms of speed.
The extra spectrum, which has been held by Three since being acquired from EE in 2013, has already been rolled out across “all” of the operator’s sites in Northern England, the West Midlands, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The rest of the UK will follow soon, Three said.
Last month, Three became the first operator in the UK to launch a Voice over LTE (VoLTE) service after rolling out 800MHz spectrum.
According to the telco, 42 percent of the UK’s mobile data traffic was carried by Three in the year ending March 2015.
The company, which has 4.4 million LTE customers, is targeting 98 percent nationwide 4G coverage this year.
It is awaiting regulatory approval for its acquisition of rival O2.
Bryn Jones, Chief Technology Officer at Three UK, said: “Many of our 4G customers will already be enjoying a faster, more reliable experience at no extra cost.
“Our network processes a huge amount of data and we will continue to work hard on providing them with a service that delivers the reliability and speed that they need.”