Three UK launched on 3 March 2003 as the UK's first 100% 3G network. Following its merger with Vodafone UK (completed 31 May 2025), Three operates as part of VodafoneThree — the UK's largest mobile operator with 27 million combined customers. Three's Go Roam programme covers 163 destinations on qualifying Complete plans. From 19 April 2026, new Three Pay Monthly plans are speed-capped at 100 Mbps.
Speed Caps — April 2026
Most significant Three change in 2026. Applies to all new contracts from 19 April 2026.
- New Pay Monthly plans: capped at 100 Mbps download
- New PAYG plans: capped at 25 Mbps (50 Mbps with Auto-Renew Data Pack)
- Full Speed Add-on: removes Pay Monthly cap (paid add-on)
- Existing in-term customers: NOT affected
Go Roam — 163 Countries
Three's Go Roam covers 163 destinations on Complete plans.
- Go Roam Europe: 49 destinations
- Around the World: 71 total — USA, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong
- Around the World Extra: 163 total — India, Japan, UAE, Canada, Kenya
- Fair use: 12GB data, 3,000 minutes, 5,000 texts per month roaming
VodafoneThree Merger 2025
Three and Vodafone merged 31 May 2025 — the UK's largest mobile structural change.
- 27 million combined customers — UK's largest operator
- £11 billion 10-year UK network investment committed
- MOCN mast-sharing: 8,000+ sites progressively shared
- Vodafone agreed to buy CK Hutchison 49% for £4.3B (May 2026)
Three+ Rewards
Free loyalty app for all Three customers.
- £1 weekly barista coffee at participating cafés
- £3 Cineworld cinema tickets (Sunday–Friday)
- £5 off £10+ at restaurants and takeaways
- Exclusive event presale tickets
Three 5G — Independent Data
From umlaut and Opensignal — not Three's own marketing.
- umlaut 2026: Three 799/1,000 — 3rd in UK
- Opensignal Jan 2026: fastest 5G peak download at 187 Mbps
- Three holds the most 5G C-Band spectrum of any UK operator
Three eSIM
eSIM on qualifying SIM Only plans.
- Supported on Lite, Lite+, Value, Complete Your Way plans
- Compatible: iPhone XS+, Samsung Galaxy S20+, Google Pixel 3+
- Activate via QR code from Three online account
Plan Overview — No Pricing
Three SIM Only, Pay Monthly, PAYG — visit three.co.uk for costs.
- SIM Only tiers: Lite (no roaming), Value (49 EU), Complete (163 countries)
- Pay Monthly: 24-month handset contracts
- PAYG: no contract, no credit check
MVNOs on Three
SMARTY and iD Mobile run on Three's infrastructure.
- SMARTY: 30-day plans; unused data credit-back; EU 12GB/42 destinations
- iD Mobile: data rollover; 50 worldwide destinations (30GB); eSIM