Home » UK ISP News Archive » Article Tag: 3G (557 Posts)

Articles for Category Tag - 3G

Clarifying Some Myths Around the UK Shutdown of 3G Mobile

3rd June, 2023 (69 Comments)

In recent weeks the news has been full of reports (e.g. here and here), which frequently warn – without challenge – that the move by Mobile Network Operators (MNO) O2, Three UK, Vodafone and EE to withdraw old 3G services will push “millions of people” into “digital poverty” and disconnect them from the internet. But are they correct?

53% of UK Mobile Users See Average Downloads Below 30Mbps

1st June, 2023 (12 Comments)

New data from mobile benchmarking firm Opensignal has revealed that 53.3% of UK Smartphone users achieve average mobile broadband download speeds below 30Mbps (sub-“superfast” level), while 14% suffer sub-10Mbps downloads and 4.7% of users spend over 5% of their time with no mobile signal at all.

EE UK Pilots 3G Switch Off in Warrington from 17th July 2023

26th May, 2023 (28 Comments)

Mobile operator EE (BT) has announced that they will conduct an initial pilot of their 3G withdrawal scheme in the Cheshire (England) town of Warrington from the week of 17th July 2023. This will be followed by their national programme, which aims to move customers off the old data (mobile broadband) network by early 2024.

Vodafone to Start Switching Off Rest of UK 3G Network from June 2023

9th May, 2023 (49 Comments)

At the start of this year Vodafone became the first UK mobile operator to begin the process of switching off their old 3G mobile (mobile broadband) network, which started with a pilot in the Devon city of Plymouth and the Hampshire town of Basingstoke. The operator now plans to start switching off the remainder of its 3G from June 2023.

Ofcom May Reallocate Unpaired 2100MHz UK Mobile Band

23rd March, 2023 (5 Comments)

Ofcom has today announced that they may revoke the current mobile operator licences – held by EE (BT), Three UK and O2 (VMO2) – for the unpaired part of the 2100MHz band (1900-1920 MHz), which was originally auctioned off in April 2000 to support the rollout of 3G mobile (mobile broadband) networks.

BT IoT National Roaming SIM for Delivery Driver in Van

BT Launch National UK Roaming SIMs for Business IoT Smart Devices

16th February, 2023 (8 Comments)

Broadband and mobile giant BT (EE) has today launched their new IoT National Roaming SIMs for businesses across the UK, which are designed to help firms keep their smart Internet of Things (IoT) devices connected “wherever they are” by harnessing several different wireless and mobile network technologies.

telecommunication tower a falling signal on the city 123rf

Ofcom UK Sets Out Expectations for 2G and 3G Mobile Switch-Off

2nd February, 2023 (17 Comments)

Ofcom has today set out their “expectations” for how they want mobile operators – Three UK, Vodafone, EE (BT) and O2 (VMO2 / Virgin Media) – to approach the phased switch-off of legacy 2G and 3G mobile services. The goal being to ensure consumers are “treated fairly” and aren’t left cut-off from vital services.

Vodafone UK to Start Switching Off 3G in Devon and Hampshire

30th January, 2023 (18 Comments)

The time has come. Vodafone will, in just a few days’ time, become one of the first UK mobile networks to start the process of switching off their old 3G mobile (mobile broadband) platform, with people in the Devon city of Plymouth and the Hampshire town of Basingstoke being among the first to switch.

mobile network masts four uk 4g 5g by 123rf

Survey Claims 51% of UK Consumers Unaware of 3G Switch-off

24th January, 2023 (25 Comments)

A new Opinium surveyed of 2,000 UK adults, which was commissioned by Uswitch and conducted during December 2022, has claimed that 51% of mobile users are unaware that operators are planning to switch-off 3G based data (mobile broadband) services – starting next month – and 25% say they still use it regularly.

EE UK Leave Kent Village Without Mobile Signal for Two Weeks

20th November, 2022 (20 Comments)

Residents and businesses on EE’s mobile network in the area surrounding the tiny rural hamlet and civil parish of Leaveland in Kent (England) have complained after a fault with the operator’s local mast left them without a working 4G connection, as well as a poor signal in other areas (via other masts), for two weeks and counting.

Mobile Operator Three UK to Close 3G Home Signal Box Service

29th July, 2022 (18 Comments)

Mobile operator Three UK has begun to notify customers that their indoor 3G femtocell based signal booster device and service (‘Home Signal‘), which harnesses an existing fixed line broadband ISP connection to create its own indoor 3G mobile signal over a specific band, is to be “retired” on 5th September 2022.

UK Ranks 59th in the World for the Price of 1GB Mobile Data

26th July, 2022 (9 Comments)

New research has analysed 5,292 mobile data (mobile broadband) plans from across 233 countries in order to compare the cost of a 1GB (GigaByte) data allowance, which found that the United Kingdom has improved its rank from 78th in 2021 to 59th in 2022, with an average price of USD $0.79 per GB (down from $1.42).

Mobile Operator EE Suffers Sporadic UK Network Outage UPDATE

22nd June, 2022 (22 Comments)

Mobile operator EE (BT) has this afternoon been hit by a sporadic network outage, which started at around 1pm and primarily seems to be affecting mobile broadband connectivity via 4G and 5G services (3G still works.. sometimes), across different parts of the United Kingdom.

RootMetrics Study Finds Improvement in UK Mobile Call Quality

24th May, 2022 (8 Comments)

Mobile testing firm RootMetrics, which is owned by Ookla (here), has today published the results from their new research into UK mobile calling (voice) performance and trends, which claims that consumers are experiencing “outstanding mobile call performance that’s continued to improve over time“.

concept of wireless radio Internet. 5G mobile technologies by 123rf

Ofcom UK to Let O2 and Vodafone Use Existing Bands for 5G

20th May, 2022 (20 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, have today proposed to update certain licences held by mobile operators Vodafone and O2 (VMO2) – including for the 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz and 2.6GHz bands. The move is designed to enable the deployment of newer technologies, such as ultrafast 5G broadband services, into the bands.

Three UK Confirms Plan to Switch-Off 3G Mobile Service by 2024

11th May, 2022 (40 Comments)

Mobile operator Three UK has today become the latest provider – after Vodafone and EE – to announce that it aims to completely switch off their legacy 3G (mobile broadband) network by the end of 2024. The move will free up resources to allow Three to focus on improving the 4G experience and rolling out 5G to more parts of the UK.

Three UK See Record Mobile Data Traffic of 1 Terabits Per Second UPDATE

8th April, 2022 (10 Comments)

Mobile operator Three UK has today published their new ‘Mobile Britain’ report, which summarises key statistics from their network and reveals that mobile broadband (data) traffic hit an all-time high of “1 tbps (terabyte per second)” on Tuesday night – between 21:15 and 21:30 (they actually mean Terabits).