VodafoneThree has confirmed that Three UK's 3G mobile network has been switched off.
The telco retired its network on the morning of November 27, some 23 years and six months after it first went live.
Three initially launched as a 3G-only network back in March 2023.
The switch-off is no surprise, given that the telco notified customers that it was switching off its 3G network this year, following the path of Vodafone, which retired its 3G network last year.
It means the only remaining 3G network in the UK is being operated by Virgin Media O2, which plans to sunset the network next year.
Frequencies from the 3G network have now been reallocated for VodafoneThree's 4G and 5G networks.
Three noted that of its 16,000 network masts, 3,000 were 3G-only, but have since been upgraded to provide 4G and 5G services, with many upgraded with multi-operator core network technology.
Since completing its merger earlier this year, VodafoneThree has ramped up its network upgrades to switch on MOCN technology at hundreds of sites across the UK.
The upgrades are part of VodafoneThree’s £11 billion ($14.83bn) investment program after Vodafone and Three completed their long-awaited merger in June.
As of August, upgrades have gone live at more than 600 sites so far, though the telco has plans to increase this to more than 9,000 by the end of the first year.
Source: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/three-completes-3g-network-shutdown-in-uk/
