Three network 4G coverage and speed around the UK?

[Andy from Sandy]

I’ve just got an 2 year unlimited data Three network SIM and Hueiai (sorry I can’t spell it, let alone say it) 535 router deal for £17 pm for the house and am thinking of getting a MiFi device with Three unlimited data contract for the motorhome. I suspect the 4G coverage round the England is a lot worse than my current excellent EE 4G data contract, which is coming to the end in October.

Please, how good is Three‘s 4G network coverage and speed around England please?

Thanks

 

[Minxy]

Why not take the existing router/sim with you?

 

[The Green's]

In my experience Three has some very large gaps in their coverage, and some rural areas in particular are just not covered, so whilst I appreciate their great deals on data, I would never commit wholeheartedly to them again.

I find EE the best for overall coverage, but also O2 are very good. I still have a Three data SIM on PAYG, and if you get the right one they last for ages, so great to have as a standby. I also have EE for the same reason.

I think Minxy Girl 's point makes the most sense if you have SIM/MiFi at home, take it with you! Maybe get another network PAYG as backup when away.

Edit - P.S. If you ask 10 people about network coverage, you will get 10 different answers, it is very subjective and obviously varies so much by location

 

[Jim]

I use Three data extensively all over England and Wales, it's rare it lets me down.

 

[TheBig1]

never had a major issue getting a connection with 3 using a huawei mifi and aerial. It's pronounced Who-ah-wey by the way

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[pete4x4]

No EE or Three coverage here just outside Daventry, only O2 Sucks really

 

[MyrtleGuru]

You really need to check the coverage maps for the areas you are mainly interested in.

Where I am now I can get a 4G signal with Three using an external aerial on the van, but I can't even make a voice call with EE. Somewhere else the reverse will be true.

If you stray off the beaten track a lot in the UK, it's worth having several PAYG SIMs, so all networks are covered. As well as the main Three one I use for data, I also carry a GiffGaff PAYG SIM (O2) and an Asda one (EE). And fortunately my company phone is on Vodafone, so I have all the bases covered!

 

[Minxy]

never had a major issue getting a connection with 3 using a huawei mifi and aerial. It's pronounced Who-ah-wey by the way

I thought it was Whah-way ... (no it's not Geordie!)

 

[clanjones]

Very poor coverage in the Highlands if Scotland and even dead spots in East Lothian.

We changed to Vodafone and Voxi for this reason.

 

[pete4x4]

You can always buy a payg sim from Manx Telecom, it then roams on most of the UK mainland networks, I havent checked recently what roaming costs but its useful to have in the phone arsenal

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[DandG5515]

Hi live in Norfolk, forget Vodafone useless for us, I carry O2 (Tesco) ee and 3 phones, so I always have a chance of a connection. 3 is an awfully company to deal with when they own you money, operators cut you off after 40minutes when agreeing the refund. I had one operator put a deal on simcard I did not agree to. They are great at upselling or adding new deals. I would not recommend putting all you eggs in one basket. I only have one pyg sim with 3, i have since cancelled all my contacts with them.

 

[Bognor Saint]

I thought it was Whah-way ... (no it's not Geordie!)

That's what I thought too

 

[Jev88]

Just trialled Smarty (3) for two months and found coverage rubbish compared to giffgaff (O2). Moved back this week. Giff gaff unltd £20 month no contract. Drop to £5 a month if not needed.

 

[Minxy]

We were with Three who were always the best provider for our area until they did some work getting their masts etc ready for 5G earlier last year at which time we had virtually NO signal and after 4 days I played merry hell with them as we only had mobiles with them and no land-line which meant my elderly Mum couldn't contact us if she needed to. In the end I told them that as they had broken the service contract by not being able to supply what we were paying for nor give us an idea of when it would be working properly they shouldn't hold us to it (it still had quite a while to run), so they let us out without charge. I got a sim from Vodafone which previously had been cr@p in our area but they had a 14 day no-quibble return policy at the time so we had nothing to lose. Fortunately it worked okay however in the trial period we found a good deal via Broken Link Removed so took the sim back and got a Vodafone one with them with cashback which worked out quite a bit cheaper.

One thing to bear in mind abroad is how much data you can use as some restrict the amount and/or duration. Another thing is that Vodafone in Spain insist on you using their own network which can be a bit crappy in some areas whereas Three will use whatever is available so you might get a better service.

 

[TheBig1]

I thought it was Whah-way ... (no it's not Geordie!)

back when there was a lot in the news about using huawei for the uk 5g infrastructure and their links with the chinese state, a reporter interviewed a security specialist (Chinese as it happens) and asked how the name was pronounced. That is how they pronounced it

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[Oldbob]

Carrier pigeon always works well for me, as does pony Express !
Apart from that, I use bt of all people, good deal, and can always access wifi or data in majority of places.
When away I don't worry, that to me is the point of getting away, chill, relax and don't worry .

 

[Manic]

I’ve just got an 2 year unlimited data Three network SIM and Hueiai (sorry I can’t spell it, let alone say it) 535 router deal for £17 pm for the house and am thinking of getting a MiFi device with Three unlimited data contract for the motorhome. I suspect the 4G coverage round the England is a lot worse than my current excellent EE 4G data contract, which is coming to the end in October.

Please, how good is Three‘s 4G network coverage and speed around England please?

Thanks

Sorry but if you suspect Three to be worse than you current provide, why take out a 2 year contract and then ask about coverage.

 

[Stewart J]

I took out an offer on a 3 contract a couple of years ago but had to terminate early which cost me as the reception around where I live is very poor and patchy, Haltwhistle area South West Northumberland.

 

[tonyidle]

never had a major issue getting a connection with 3 using a huawei mifi and aerial. It's pronounced Who-ah-wey by the way

I use 3. On the very odd occasion the signal is poor there's always the phone hot-spot. Wife & I are on different networks so we can invariably connect using one of our three choices.

 

[Andy from Sandy]

Sorry but if you suspect Three to be worse than you current provide, why take out a 2 year contract and then ask about coverage.

Good question, the answer is Three is quite good enough for in-home use where I live. My question related to coverage around the UK in general, when we eventually start motorhoming again. It’s also a lot cheaper than the fibre optic broadband that I have just stopped using at home. Thanks for asking.

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[Andy from Sandy]

I use Three data extensively all over England and Wales, it's rare it lets me down.

Thank you Jim, much appreciated.

 

[Andy from Sandy]

Why not take the existing router/sim with you?

Thanks for your question Minxy Girl, I need permanent internet connectivity at home for the remote control of the central heating (in the cold weather), for the on-line security cameras and for the Ring video door bell.

On further reflection I think I will get a PAYG data sim from Three for home use (prepaid and equivalent to £2.50 a month over 24 months for 24 Gb of data) for when we go away in the motorhome. It will only mean swapping over the sim cards and I already have an unused mifi device in the motorhome. Deep joy - as long as I get decent coverage as we drive around.

 

[Minxy]

back when there was a lot in the news about using huawei for the uk 5g infrastructure and their links with the chinese state, a reporter interviewed a security specialist (Chinese as it happens) and asked how the name was pronounced. That is how they pronounced it

I'll stick with the way I suggested:

 

[Minxy]

Thanks for your question Mindy Girl, I need permanent internet connectivity at home for the remote control of the central heating (in the cold weather), for the on-line security cameras and for the Ring video door bell.

If you have a phone which isn't tied to a contract you could go for the Vodafone deal which is on at present which I think may end early July:

100gb data & unlimited calls & texts, 24 month contract, costs £20 if you go direct to Vodafone but buy it via Fonehouse online and it reduced after cashback to £8 a month, you pay £20 a month direct to Vodafone and then submit the bills on line every now and then after which a proportion of the cashback is paid directly into your bank account so by the end you'll have all the cashback and instead of paying £480 you'll pay £192, saving £288 over the period.

 

[Manic]

Good question, the answer is Three is quite good enough for in-home use where I live. My question related to coverage around the UK in general, when we eventually start motorhoming again. It’s also a lot cheaper than the fibre optic broadband that I have just stopped using at home. Thanks for asking.

I’m on three and on the whole it’s not to bad, I did try Vodafone Pay as you go but wasn’t happy with the coverage

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[denisejoe]

We're having loads of problems with 3 at the moment. The speed is so variable that at times we can't even get a signal. Do a speed check one minute and it's 36 M; the next it won't even load a speed check! Another time it'll be really slow at 0.06 M download. They're supposed to be sending us upgraded SIM cards which supposedly will make the signal better?

 

[Off da Grid]

It can depend on how old your phone is not necessarily the network, although where we are 3 is not very good but EE is great. The newer phones work on more frequencies so get a better signal.
I found out they share the mast near me. EE is at the top of the mast.
I switched to EE and get 4g indoors when on 3 I could barely get a signal using the same phone.
If I do a speed check near the mast I get faster speeds on my mobile than at home on broadband on EE.
In other places my phone would not connect to 3’s 4g network.
So I did some research apparently they would prefer you not to use 4g as they haven’t got as much band width as everyone else.
When abroad it doesn’t matter what U.K. network your on go to network settings on your phone and choose the fastest local network.
It’s a load of baloney when it comes to network partners so don’t go with what ever network you home network specifies.

 

[Madcaravanner]

Try this for a DEFINITIVE answer

Check your network coverage | Support | Three

Check network coverage for 4G, and 5G in your area. Our 4G network covers 99% of the UK population (outdoor coverage). And we’re the UK’s Fastest 5G Network.

www.three.co.uk

I have a handset on Three unlimited data , a Tablet on Three (and my wifes handset) had no problems so far in many years being with three

 

[PeteH]

Youngest son is a "trouble shooter" for IT and mobile Com`s.. He pointed out to me that there are effectively only 3 providers in the UK. Vodaphone, O`2 and EE. Everyone else piggy back off them across different frequencies. 3 has some limited access off their systems too, but it is frequency Dependant. Where they are "effective" are mostly urban area`s. With a few "hot spots". My location (HU17) is not at all well served despite being shown as such on their "map".

 

[denisejoe]

Try this for a DEFINITIVE answer

Check your network coverage | Support | Three

Check network coverage for 4G, and 5G in your area. Our 4G network covers 99% of the UK population (outdoor coverage). And we’re the UK’s Fastest 5G Network.

www.three.co.uk

I have a handset on Three unlimited data , a Tablet on Three (and my wifes handset) had no problems so far in many years being with three

They say they have excellent service in my area but o2 say there are problems 3 told me they were sending upgraded sims to improve and stop my signal going from 30+ to 0.6 and below as speed checker wont load under that.

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