Who owns 3

In our Three review Our verdict 3. Three are one of the four main networks in the UK that own and operate their own masts the others are Vodafone, O2 and EE. But in the country, up hills and in dips, you can encounter blackspots. Indoor call signal isn't perfect either. We took our Three SIM card out to lots of different types of places to get a feel for what their signal is like.

We found in big cities and towns, we were rarely without a 4G data connection. Although there were still pockets where you'd get bumped onto a 3G one.

The more you leave built-up areas though on Three, that's where the holes start to appear. Our phone was on 3G more often than other networks and because Three haven't got 2G, we still found some total blackspots on roads between places.

Their coverage map is honest about this. We found they haven't exaggerated signal strength in the areas where it's not good. In big cities, Three can match every other network. But it falls away faster in smaller towns and villages, leaving you on 3G more often than other providers. No matter what type of plan you join Three on phone contract or SIM only , it comes ready to work on their 5G network at no extra cost, as long your phone is actually capable of using 5G. Before, it was just a few streets.

Now, much larger parts of the area get 5G. Useful link: Our guide to the best 5G networks. From millions of measurements taken on people's smartphones, independent network testers Opensignal and Speedtest by Ookla put typical 4G downloads at around That's like a mid-range range home broadband connection and puts Three mid-table above O2, tied with Vodafone but behind EE. It is an average though. In real-life we got 10 Mbps to 45 Mbps on Three. We conducted our own speed tests in spread of different locations to spot check against what the independent network testers say.

We see where their average comes from. In built-up places like city centres and even in some rural 4G locations, we measured up to 44 Mbps on our test phone. But in more-suburban locations, it was more like 10 Mbps that still supported YouTube in HD buffer-free.

A good thing about Three is that their 3G is fast too in our experience, which is handy as 4G coverage is not universal. But most of the time, it was more like a workable 6 Mbps. We think general users will be satisfied with Three's data speeds over 4G, even if you want to do more-demanding stuff like stream HD video.

Hard-core gamers might not be so happy on Three. Useful link: Latest cities to get Three's 5G rollout. Three's WiFi calling kicked in pretty easily indoors and we successfully moved between a WiFi call and a 4G call without the call dropping WiFi to 3G does drop though.

We did find their 4G calling a little "reluctant" to kick in outside. The network seems to favour a 3G connection for calls perhaps because the coverage is better if you're moving with your phone. We found the audio quality and speed to connect totally satisfactory. We didn't notice a difference between this and a normal call, which is how it should be. This improves indoor coverage for calls on Three, as their 4G signal is better at getting through buildings than their 3G is and calls and gives HD sound quality too.

Rank: 1st. Better than: O2, Vodafone. Some mobile networks now include free access to a network of WiFi hotspots in handy public locations to help you save your mobile data allowance and get you internet connection where mobile signal can't reach. Every Three pay monthly or pay as you go customer gets free WiFi on the London Underground with unlimited WiFi stations across the capital's transport network a service you otherwise pay for.

Some of which are really slick and automatically detect your phone and log you on when you're in range. This isn't really a huge weakness for Three. There's loads of free WiFi about nowadays anyway. And data allowances are getting so big, people don't have to guard their usage so much. Rank: Joint 4th. Same as or better than: EE, Sky and all others.

You can use anything up to your entire data allowance for tethering on Three. We did quite a simple test. Turned on personal hotspot on our phone with the Three test SIM card in it and try and connect a laptop. Like all tethering over a mobile network, there's a bit more lag than what you'd get over a home wired broadband connection. But for occasional use when you're stuck somewhere out-and-about without WiFi, it's perfectly passable.

We do think coverage could be a problem for tethering on the road or on train journeys though. The only limit is when you take your Three SIM abroad. In the EU you can only tether if you're on an unlimited data plan. Anywhere else or on other plans you can't tether abroad at all - without buying a Data Passport for a fixed daily cost. Useful link: Read all tethering conditions in Three's guide. For years, Three made up for some shortfalls in how extensive their network coverage was by adding loads of extras into your plan.

Their plans are a lot more low-frills. Especially, when you take one of their hidden plans in the dropdown here:. Useful links: Compare SIM only plans. If you're looking to get your entire family or a group of friends signed up with the same network, Three are an option but they're not the most convenient one read our family plan guide here.

There are discounts available to thank you for your loyalty and having multiple deals with Three. See existing customer offers here.

But there's none of the convenience you'd want. Each deal is on a separate account. You can't just log in and manage them all at once. You're billed separately for each. And there's no clever data sharing or similar. Useful link: Our guide to the best family plans. Rank: 5th. Better than: Tesco, Sky. One of the benefits removed for new Three customers is their Go Roam inclusive scheme. Useful links: Other roaming costs on Three. Rank: Last. Similar to: EE and Vodafone. Some links in this article may be affiliate links.

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Source: Survey of U. Along with mobile phones, Americans own a range of other information devices. About three-quarters of U. There has been a steady decline of those who use smartphones as their primary means of online access at home in recent years.

Reliance on smartphones for online access is especially common among younger adults, lower-income Americans and those with a high school education or less. Mobile Technology and Home Broadband June 13, Digital gap between rural and nonrural America persists May 31, Digital divide persists even as lower-income Americans make gains in tech adoption May 7, Millennials stand out for their technology use, but older generations also embrace digital life May 2, About a quarter of U.

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