Three is one of the largest UK mobile phone networks in the UK, with millions of customers and a broad range of mobile and broadband products. Here’s a closer look at what Three offer. 

About Three

Three was founded by Hutchison 3G UK Limited on 3rd March 2003, and is made up of three subsidiary companies: 

• SMARTY
• Qualcomm UK Spectrum Ltd 
• UK Broadband Limited 

The network has their own wireless network infrastructure across the UK and act as a mobile network operator for the following other virtual networks: 

• SMARTY
• iD Mobile
• FreedomPop

Types of contracts and products

Three offers a wide range of different mobile contracts and products, including:

Three Sim Only Deals

Three offer many different SIM Only plans, of up to 24 months duration.  

Three Pay Monthly Phones

Three offers pay monthly phones from all the major handset manufacturers, including: 

• Alcatel
• Apple
• Google
• Huawei
• Nokia
• OPPO
• OnePlus
• Samsung
• TCL
• Xiaomi 

When choosing a phone, Three customers can also add bundles and other extras, for example, with the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, you can add:

• AirPods Pro
• AirPos Wired Charging Case 
• Super Protection Bundle

How much do Three pay monthly plans cost?

The price of Three pay monthly deals varying depending on the handset you choose, as well as the data included in your contract. 

Three Pay As You Go Deals

Pay As You Go is a sim data pack that doesn’t have a contract and only runs out when the data runs out. 

Three Network Coverage Checker

Three has a coverage map on their website that shows coverage for outdoor and indoor along with places that have no connection at all. 

For more accuracy, you can put in the name of the device it would be used on and your location. 

Three Coverage Details

Three claims to be the fastest UK 5G network and it provides 99.8% of the outdoor population with 3G and 4G in the UK. 

In October 2020, Three was found to have 4G download/upload speeds on 22.2/8.0Mbps with 48.3ms 4G latency.

Three Network features

Three customers can access a wide range of features including:

• Unlimited data 
• Easy switch 
• Insurance
• 3Live event 
• 3 Store Now
• Next-day delivery
• 3 recycle

What else do Three offer?

Three offers Wi-Fi calling and 4G calling. 

Roaming charges have been reintroduced because of Brexit and tethering is also available.

Three doesn’t currently offer data rollover services. 

Three customer service record

It’s fair to say Three’s customer service scores are mixed. 

Three TrustPilot reviews

Three currently has an overall rating of 1.7 stars on Trustpilot, with 31% being 5 reviews and 52% 1 star.

On 5 star reviews, comments have been made on how quick the service is to resolve issues, professionalism and highly recommending it. 

However, on their 1 star reviews common consensus is that customers feel exhausted and lied to. It has also been said that cancelling an account with Three is “very difficult”. 

Three Reviews.io score

At Reviews.io Three scores slightly better, with an overall score of 2.18 stars, based on 50 customer reviews. 

Of those that have left a review, only 30% say they would recommend the Three network. 

A bit more about Three…

Three is one of the UK’s largest mobile networks accounting for 28% of mobile data traffic and one of only four (the others being Vodafone, EE and O2) that operates its own wireless network. 

When it launched in 2003, Three was the UK’s first commercial 3G network operator and now offers coverage to over 99% of the UK population.  

The current Three CEO is Robert Finnegan, and they employ approximately 4,800 members of staff in over 300 stores across the UK.