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Daily Record
12-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Millions of Brits get free mobile upgrade as two major firms confirm change
Two popular networks are joining forces which could spell good news for millions of customers across the UK Changes to your mobile phone can seem like a daunting prospect. Brits might find it all too easy to get lost in the tech jargon, as word comes from your smartphone company that they are modifying an aspect of your device. However, millions of Vodafone and Three customers are set for one kind of boost that should be very welcome - an improvement in their mobile signal, as the networks, which have recently merged, unveils its £11billion grand plans. The firms are joining forces to create a platform called VodafoneThree, meaning it will now be the UK's biggest. In just two weeks' time, seven million Three users and its budget sub-brand SMARTY will see their services get better. This includes a 20 per cent average speed uplift on 4G for everything from surfing the web to texting pals. And that's not all. Wait just a few more months, and 27 mobile subscribers across both Vodafone and Three will start to benefit from full access to roam on each other's networks. This will be made available at no extra cost. This will get rid of dreaded "not spots" from parts of the country amounting to ten times the size of London. VodafoneThree has confirmed that its various brands will remain separate. This not only includes Vodafone and Three, but also VOXI, SMARTY and Talkmobile. However, Vodafone will be the only brand for business customers. "A new era of connectivity has begun," Max Taylor, CEO, VodafoneThree, said. "We will connect every nation, every community, in every corner of the UK. "We will build the UK's best 5G network with an unprecedented £11bn privately funded infrastructure project, laying the digital foundation for our country's growth ambitions. "Benefits for our 27 million mobile customers will start within months, with access to roam across both networks at no extra cost. "From big cities to small towns, and everywhere in between, our mission is to build the UK's best network." Along with the coverage boost, VodafoneThree reckons it will make its cutsomer service better. Within two years the company will open two new customer care centres in Belfast and Sheffield, bringing 400 sales and customer service roles back to the UK, alongside the existing call centres in Glasgow and Stoke. Other exciting developments we can anticipate are the beta trials on a "first-of-its-kind," space-based satellite mobile network that VodaFoneThree says it will launch next year. This will support the existing network build, eliminating coverage gaps in places that otherwise couldn't be reached. Lastly, even customers of other providers - such as EE and O2 - will be able to try VodafoneThree's network with a seven-day, free, eSIM trial. By simply scanning a QR code, customers will be able to try the network with the same phone and same contact details. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
The Guardian
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Newly formed VodafoneThree vows to create thousands of jobs
VodafoneThree, the newly formed leader in the UK's mobile market, is aiming to more than double its broadband business by 2034, as it pledged to create thousands of jobs and upgrade its network. Vodafone has become the fastest growing provider of home broadband since expanding beyond mobile services in 2015, and now plans to grow its customer base from 2 million to more than 4 million over the next eight years after the merger. VodafoneThree has deals in place with CityFibre and Openreach to target its services to customers, and on Thursday announced a new partnership with London-focused Community Fibre. The merger of Vodafone's UK arm with Three creates a business with 27 million customers backed by a pledge to invest £11bn over the next decade to roll out next-generation 5G services across the UK. However, the deal will also result in the closure of retail stores on the high street and in shopping centres. VodafoneThree plans to close some of its almost 650 retail stores on high streets and in shopping centres but create about 400 customer service jobs previously outsourced overseas. Three UK has about 290 stores, and Vodafone, which controls 51% of the new UK joint venture, has about 350 outlets. The overlap in many locations means that as VodafoneThree combines its businesses, an unspecified number in close proximity will be shut. 'There will be a consolidation [of stores] to neighbouring [Vodafone and Three UK] premises,' said Max Taylor, the chief executive of VodafoneThree, in a presentation. 'However, there will be no redundancies. Staff levels will come down over time naturally.' Taylor said that the company would not look to boost its customer base by considering a takeover of the troubled rival telecoms and broadband company TalkTalk. TalkTalk, which was founded by Sir Charles Dunstone, is the UK's fourth-largest telecoms group, with about 3.2 million customers. However, the business is struggling to stem a customer exodus and is facing financial difficulties, which has made it a potential takeover target, with BT and Virgin Media O2 having looked at the possibility of mounting a bid. James Ratzer, an analyst at New Street Research, said: 'We genuinely believe that almost regardless of the price, Vodafone is so focused on the integration of Three UK for the next few years that a TalkTalk integration would not be possible for them to take on.' Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion The £16.5bn merger of the companies, bringing together the third and fourth largest mobile operators in the UK, has been underpinned by a pledge to invest billions in extending 5G mobile coverage across the UK. The new company, which has about 13,500 employees, has said it will provide more than 99% of the UK with 5G coverage by 2034. The first £1.3bn of its £11bn investment will be made this year. 'I'm delighted that this huge investment is being made in mobile phone network infrastructure, better connecting people with families, loved ones and work by providing stronger, more widespread 5G coverage,' the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Newly merged VodafoneThree vows to eradicate mobile ‘not spots'
VodafoneThree, the newly-merged telecoms giant, has vowed to banish weak mobile phone signals across swathes of rural Britain by the year-end as it pours £11bn into 5G. The company, formed by a £15bn tie-up between Vodafone and Three earlier this month, vowed to fix 16,500 square kilometre of so-called mobile 'not-spots' over the next six months so people can get better phone signals. The area targeted for improvement is around ten times the size of London while bosses have also set a target of reaching 95pc geographic coverage and total population coverage by 2034 under ambitious plans revealed as part of the merger. Max Taylor, chief executive of VodafoneThree, said the tie-up would 'set a new benchmark for mobile quality' and encouraged rivals, including BT's EE, to follow suit. He said: 'For too long we've been languishing behind on the global connectivity stage and quite frankly the industry needed a change. 'This will set a new standard and it will be great for consumers and the country if the others follow.' Mobile network operators have come under increasing pressure from ministers amid concerns about patchy signal and misleading coverage maps. VodafoneThree has promised to invest £11bn in its 5G network over the next decade – including £1.3bn in its first year – as part of a package of remedies agreed with competition regulators. The company said the merger would initially help to tackle not-spots in rural areas as the merger brings together mobile masts belonging to Vodafone and Three into a single network. Three customers are expected to enjoy an upgraded service 'within weeks', while the remainder of the group's 27m customers will see the benefits in the coming months and years. VodafoneThree is also aiming to boost its coverage in the most remote regions through a new satellite venture. It will launch trials of the service, which will beam broadband connections directly to smartphones, within the next year – after inking a deal with Texas-based AST Space Mobile. VodafoneThree will continue to operate with multiple consumer brands, including Voxi and Smarty. However, analysts expect the company to gradually phase out the Three brand. It has already scrapped the Three brand for business customers, while Vodafone will be the only brand for customers buying both mobile and broadband services. Bosses said the combined company will create a major new challenger in the broadband market. It has struck a partnership with London-based broadband firm Community Fibre, adding to its existing agreements with BT's Openreach and CityFibre. The company has also pledged to improve customer service, opening new call centres in Belfast and Sheffield and launching a new policy dubbed 'Just Ask Once' that will allow subscribers to leave without penalty if they are not satisfied. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Scottish Sun
11-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Over 27 MILLION Brits receive huge mobile upgrade for free as Vodafone and Three announce raft of changes for customers
Newly-merged network reveals the future for five brands that rely on their 5G UP TO SPEED Over 27 MILLION Brits receive huge mobile upgrade for free as Vodafone and Three announce raft of changes for customers MILLIONS of Vodafone and Three customers are set for a huge boost to their mobile signal as the newly-merged mega network reveals its £11billion grand plans. A major improvement to services will start for more than seven million users of Three and its budget sub-brand SMARTY in just two weeks time. 2 The £16.5billion tie-up makes VodafoneThree the UK's biggest mobile network Credit: Alamy 2 Both brands will continue to co-exist - but there are some changes coming Credit: PA Customers will receive a 20 per cent average speed uplift on 4G. And within a few months, 27million mobile subscribers across both Vodafone and Three will benefit from better signal with shared access across both networks at no extra cost, the new joint VodafoneThree firm claims. This will eradicate dreaded "not spots" from 16,500 sq/km of the country – the equivalent to 10x the size of London. VodafoneThree has confirmed that its various brands will remain separate. This not only includes Vodafone and Three, but also VOXI, SMARTY and Talkmobile which piggyback on their network kit. However, Vodafone will be the only brand for business customers. "A new era of connectivity has begun," said Max Taylor, CEO of VodafoneThree. "We will connect every nation, every community, in every corner of the UK. "We will build the UK's best 5G network with an unprecedented £11bn privately funded infrastructure project, laying the digital foundation for our country's growth ambitions." The network is pledging to bring 99.95 per cent of the population 5G Standalone - the fastest version of 5G speed around - by 2034. Brits will always have mobile phone & internet signal at home after tech breakthrough that beats Elon Musk's Starlink And by this time next year, bosses are planning to launch trials of space-based satellite mobile network coverage too to eliminate even more "not spots". Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "I'm delighted that this huge investment is being made in mobile phone network infrastructure, better connecting people with families, loved ones and work by providing stronger, more widespread 5G coverage." BROADBAND SHAKE-UP Changes are afoot for broadband services too. Three's brand will disappear from its mobile broadband over the next 12 months and brought together with Vodafone's Full Fibre, all under the Vodafone name. The firm has announced a new partnership with Community Fibre on top of existing deals with CityFibre and Openreach. Two extra customer care centres are opening in Belfast and Sheffield as well, bringing 400 jobs back to the UK. Vodafone and Three both operate their own stores across the country but the company says it has "no planned retail redundancies". The £16.5billion tie-up makes VodafoneThree the UK's biggest mobile network.
The Irish Sun
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Over 27 MILLION Brits receive huge mobile upgrade for free as Vodafone and Three announce raft of changes for customers
MILLIONS of Vodafone and Three customers are set for a huge boost to their mobile signal as the newly-merged mega network reveals its £11billion grand plans. A major improvement to services will start for more than seven million users of Three and its budget sub-brand SMARTY in just two weeks time. 2 The £16.5billion tie-up makes VodafoneThree the UK's biggest mobile network Credit: Alamy 2 Both brands will continue to co-exist - but there are some changes coming Credit: PA Customers will receive a 20 per cent average speed uplift on 4G. And within a few months, 27million mobile subscribers across both Vodafone and Three will benefit from better signal with shared access across both networks at no extra cost, the new joint VodafoneThree firm claims. This will eradicate dreaded "not spots" from 16,500 sq/km of the country – the equivalent to 10x the size of London. VodafoneThree has confirmed that its various brands will remain separate. Read more about mobiles This not only includes Vodafone and Three, but also VOXI, SMARTY and Talkmobile which piggyback on their network kit. However, Vodafone will be the only brand for business customers. "A new era of connectivity has begun," said Max Taylor, CEO of VodafoneThree. "We will connect every nation, every community, in every corner of the UK. Most read in Tech "We will build the UK's best 5G network with an unprecedented £11bn privately funded infrastructure project, laying the digital foundation for our country's growth ambitions." The network is pledging to bring 99.95 per cent of the population 5G Standalone - the fastest version of 5G speed around - by 2034. Brits will always have mobile phone & internet signal at home after tech breakthrough that beats Elon Musk's Starlink And by this time next year, bosses are planning to launch trials of space-based satellite mobile network coverage too to eliminate even more "not spots". Chancellor BROADBAND SHAKE-UP Changes are afoot for broadband services too. Three's brand will disappear from its mobile broadband over the next 12 months and brought together with Vodafone's Full Fibre, all under the Vodafone name. The firm has announced a new partnership with Community Fibre on top of existing deals with CityFibre and Two extra customer care centres are opening in Vodafone and Three both operate their own stores across the country but the company says it has "no planned retail redundancies". The £16.5billion tie-up makes VodafoneThree the UK's biggest mobile network. WILL PRICES RISE? Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun All these changes sound pretty exciting - but most customers will be wondering if it will cost them more. VodafoneThree says its mobile network boost comes at "no extra cost". And bosses have insisted as much to get the deal over the line for months. Vodafone's CEO Margherita Della Valle told BBC Radio 4's Today programme in December that the merger would cause "no extra costs from public funding and no extra cost for our customers". The company has had to agree to a number of legally binding commitments to win the approval of the competition regulator CMA. One of those was a cap on "selected mobile tariffs and data plans" for three years. As things stand Vodafone, Three and sub-brands VOXI, SMARTY and Talkmobile, will continue to sell their own mobile products, so it shouldn't result in less choice or competition.
