LTE 4G: We’ll shun premium charges, says Three

Three UK has made a public commitment to offer the latest 4G technology to its customers as standard, with no price premium. 

Mobile phone operator Three says its ultrafast services will be available as a standard feature on all its UK smartphone price plans. LTE, otherwise known as 4G, will be added to Three’s Ultrafast network later this year.

“Unlike some other UK mobile operators, it will be available across all existing and new price plans without customers needing to pay a premium fee to ‘upgrade’,” the company said in an official statement.

LTE 4G on Three 3 Network shuns premium charges 570

“Our customers choose Three because they love the internet,” added Three UK chief executive Dave Dyson. “As we add the next wave of technology to our Ultrafast network, we’ve listened to them and thought long and hard about the right way to do it. We don’t want to limit Ultrafast services to a select few based on a premium price and we’ve decided our customers will get this service as standard.”

Three users need an Ultrafast ready device to enjoy that network’s capabilities and to use the 1800Mhz spectrum when it is added later this year.

Current compatible phones and tablets include the Apple iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia 920, Sony Xperia Z, Apple iPad mini and Apple iPad with Retina display, with LTE versions of the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II being launched on Three within the next month, and the BlackBerry Z10 launching mid-February – see a full list here.

Three’s says its Ultrafast network, currently supported by DC-HSDPA technology, already covers 55 per cent of the UK population with an initial focus on 50 towns and cities. It will reach 80 per cent population coverage by the end of March and in the second half of this year it will incorporate 1800Mhz spectrum already acquired by Three to add even more coverage and capacity.


Must Read:
Comment: Three’s manifesto flies in the face of the 4G pricing