Three UK
Hutchison 3G UK Limited, trading as Three UK, is a British telecommunications company based in Reading, England. It is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings, a limited liability Cayman Islands company registered and listed in Hong Kong.[3] Three is the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, with about 10.3 million subscribers as of May 2023.
This article is about the operation of Three in United Kingdom. For its global brand name, see 3 (telecommunications).
The company launched on 3 March 2003 as the UK's first commercial 100% 3G network. It provides 3G, 4G and 5G services through its own network infrastructure.
In June 2023, it was proposed that Three will merge with Vodafone UK.
Merger proposals[edit]
In 2015, Three UK proposed a £10.2bn merger with O2 UK, which would reduce the number of networks from four to three.[50] The deal would involve O2 owner Telefonica selling O2 UK to CK Hutchson (Three UK's owner) for £10.2bn,[51] and would have created the largest mobile network at the time. However, the plan was quickly blocked by the European Commission as it was expected to drive up prices and reduce competition.[52]
In 2023, Vodafone UK struck a deal with Three UK to merge their UK businesses, subject to approval by the competition regulator. The combined company would have 27 million customers, which would make them the largest mobile network in the UK, surpassing O2 which has 24 million customers and EE which has 20 million.[21] The deal would give Vodafone Group a 51% stake in the new business with CK Hutchison owning the remaining 49%. The companies claim that the deal would lead to £11bn of investment into 5G over the next 10 years.[21][53] Consumer group Which? raised concerns that the merger would risk lowering the quality of service and increasing prices due to less competition being present.[21]
