Does "3" have a good UK coverage?

rominacurotto

Hi all,

I currently have Orange pay as you go, but I am thinking to get a contract now. “3” looks like it has cheaper plans, but I have heard it has the worst reception.

However I read in MSE about “networks and their providers” and “3” has its own network plus it uses “Orange” when no coverage. So, in theory I would be better off with “3” than “Orange”, wouldn’t I?

Additionally, the Ofcom’s 3G coverage map shows that “3” has the best coverage in the UK.

I live in London, but I want to have a decent coverange across the UK (at home and work I have landline anyway).

Does "3" have a good coverage?. Many thanks in advance.

Romina

robt_2

Yes, they do, despite what some people claim. They have the best 3G coverage in the UK and fall back onto the Orange network as you have discovered

OneADay

Have had 3 contracts with without any problems, saying that I was mostly in and around busy Midlands and North London areas.

There is a coverage checker on their site http://www.three.co.uk/_popup/Coverage_checker?maptypeForm=mobile

uberalles

Live in the hills a few miles south of Sheffield but very much in the deep countryside and with very limited television/radio/phone coverage.

However, 3 mobile 3g coverage is fine. Only that and vodafone work here.

bex2002

have had 3 for several years and not had any problems with coverage.

Snakeeyes21

I was on 3 payg for years (now on contract) and travelled the length of the uk and never had signal problems, not like vodafone and o2.
people like to say 3 are cr*p because they were at the start, as any network would be setting up from scratch with new technology, but now you cant argue with the facts, the largest 3g network backed up by the largest 2g network giving a 99% coverage.
now if only they could move their cs centers back to the uk, where they are at the moment they are awful, they get the job done after a while and after alot of prodding an trying to sell you stuff

chrissyxx

I was with 3 for 6 years and apart from the first year, which was a bit iffy, the reception was always fine (Im in Oxfordshire). Just a pity you couldnt say the same for its customer service, which was abysmal!

paul17104

ive been with them for 3 years now and ive never had signal problems, the only problems i had were mobile related, if your in a bit of a poor signal area make sure you check the handset your gonna be using to see its performance, the only way round it for me was to buy n unlock a handset that worked as 3 wouldnt replace/check/mend/even listen to me about it, the 6500 slide that i had and wont work.

LeeSouthEast

Only 2 places I know I can't get a signal:

In the nuclear basement shelter at work (surprising...)
A 300 yard stretch of A-road from me.

Everywhere else I've been all over the country has been fine.

space_rider

I`ve had 3 for years but when I moved into this house, very little coverage at all. Have changed over to 02 because of it. I have a daughter with orange and she doesn`t have any problems here.

wizk1

3 used to be terrible, but they've improved 10-fold in the last year or so. I have a 3 mobile broadband dongle, and the reception was very patchy when I first bought it. Now, connection problems are seldom come-by.