VodafoneThree has made an ambitious promise: a 20% average speed boost for 7 million Three and SMARTY customers following the merger between Vodafone and Three UK. While this merger is heralded as a significant change in the UK mobile landscape, experts argue that the emphasis on speed may be misplaced. Opensignal’s analysis reveals that Three customers already experience slightly faster average 4G download speeds (30.1Mbps) compared to those on Vodafone’s network (28.6Mbps).
The crux of the matter, as highlighted by Opensignal, is not merely speed but the consistency of the mobile experience. It’s ineffective to have a fast connection if users frequently encounter issues like video calls freezing or difficulties uploading content to social media. Opensignal introduced a measure called ‘Excellent Consistent Quality’ to assess how often networks provide sufficient quality for demanding tasks.
In this regard, Vodafone surpasses Three significantly, with 75.4% of its tests meeting the threshold compared to only 68.6% for Three. This disparity represents a significant challenge. Elevating Three’s network consistency through the merger could not only enhance customer satisfaction but also improve the UK’s mobile performance, which currently ranks 48th globally, even behind nations like Vietnam and Uruguay.
Geography also plays a role in this transition. In London, for instance, Vodafone users benefit from a network that is almost 20% faster and 15.1% more consistent compared to Three. This trend is echoed in various regions such as Wales and Northern Ireland, where Vodafone’s network consistently outperforms Three by a margin of 10-15%.
However, delivering these promised improvements will take time. The plan employs Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology to allow seamless switching between networks. The rollout timeline suggests that significant progress won’t be seen for several years, with an estimated completion date extending to 2033.
Thus, the benefits of VodafoneThree will vary considerably depending on local implementation priorities.