The merged company’s mobile networks have been rated highly in leading independent benchmarks, while the early fruits of its £11bn network investment programme have been recognised by Ofcom.
4 March 2026: The early benefits of VodafoneThree’s network investment programme have been highlighted in an open letter from Melanie Dawes, the chief executive of Ofcom. The letter was sent to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, noting that VodafoneThree has delivered faster 4G speeds for 7 million Three UK customers.
The letter also pointed out how mobile coverage has been improved in 16,500km2 of the country. This is thanks to the ongoing rollout of Multi-Operator Core Network technology, allowing Vodafone and Three customers to automatically connect each to other’s networks at no extra cost. Both of these achievements were delivered just a few months after the creation of VodafoneThree, following the merger of Vodafone UK and Three UK.
Three UK tops mobile speed tests
The latest Speedtest Awards by Ookla, makers of the well-known Speedtest benchmark of internet connection performance, has given top marks to VodafoneThree’s two flagship brands. Three was awarded a 5G speed score of 53.46, the fastest in the UK, while Vodafone came second with 43.05. Scores were given to all the UK’s mobile networks for their download and upload speeds, as well as latency, to give an overall view of performance.
Vodafone best network across 10 towns and cities
Vodafone UK was the best mobile network in a group test of 10 towns and cities, as tested by mobile benchmarking specialists Net Check. The locations are:
- York
- Southampton
- Reading
- Blackburn
- Blackpool
- Peterborough
- Bognor Regis
- Lancaster
- Lisburn (Northern Ireland)
- Stafford
Net Check had previously named Vodafone as London’s Best Network for two years in a row.
VodafoneThree £11bn mobile network investment continues
These awards and recognition come as VodafoneThree continues its UK-wide £11 billion investment programme. This includes a commitment to roll out 5G Standalone (5G SA) to 99% of the UK population by 2030, extending further to 99.96% by 2034. Since the company’s launch in June 2025, formed from the merger of Vodafone UK and Three UK, VodafoneThree has already:
- Upgraded more than 8,000 masts so that 21 million Vodafone and Three customers are benefiting from improved mobile connectivity and capacity. Customers’ devices connect to the best available coverage, at no extra cost.
- Partnered with leading global communications technology companies, Ericsson and Nokia, to deliver on its 5G SA commitment. This 5G SA rollout, the Europe’s largest privately-funded and publicly-regulated infrastructure build, ensures that the UK will have access to world-leading mobile technology – on the VodafoneThree network.
- Successfully shut down Three’s 3G network so that its radio frequencies can instead be used for faster, more reliable and more energy-efficient 4G and 5G services for customers.
