Vodafone/Three Merger to bring 5G to x3 more people in Wales

Vodafone UK has announced that nearly three times as many people living in Wales would get access to 5G 10 years from now, as a result of its proposed merger with Three UK. Dramatically expanding its current reach, the enhanced network would remove a quarter of not-spots in Wales and deliver up to three times faster average data speeds for customers. 

The local network enhancements would be possible as a result of the combined Vodafone UK and Three UK business, which would deploy Europe’s most technologically advanced 5G Standalone network across the UK.

Calculations also reveal that by having a best-in-class 5G network sooner, the merger would deliver an economic uplift of £355 million in Wales by 2030, which would contribute to a national economic benefit of up to £5 billion per year by 2030.

Andrea Dona, Chief Network Officer at Vodafone UK, said: “Our proposed combination with Three UK would give us the scale to accelerate investment in the UK’s digital future. What this means for customers up and down the country, including in Wales, is faster connectivity, the ability to connect people and devices everywhere more reliably and, in turn, benefits for local economies. Together, we can deliver innovation further and faster. ” 

The news follows recent polling, commissioned by Vodafone UK, which found over half (53%) of people in Wales feel they’re optimistic about technology’s potential to make society better by improving the services they use day-to-day.

To show how 5G-enabled technologies are already making a big impact in areas of society, and what more is to come in the future, Vodafone has created its Digital Society Blueprint.

In advance of the proposed merger, Vodafone continues to invest in its national network and connect rural and hard-to-reach parts of the UK as part of its commitment to the Shared Rural Network (SRN) – a £1bn joint initiative between Government and the UK’s four mobile network operators, which aims to deliver 4G coverage to 90% by 2027.

 In addition, Vodafone UK and Three UK have promised to further to close the rural divide by delivering 4G to 95% of the UK in their first year as a combined company – exceeding the Government’s SRN target. By 2034, they have also committed to rolling out 5G Standalone to 95% of rural areas, to ensure rural communities across all nations of the UK will be part of the UK’s digital transformation at home, at work and on the move.

These investments will support an ongoing network modernisation programme, which sees Vodafone retiring its 3G network and replacing it with strengthened 4G and 5G services, so customers can access a more reliable connection.

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