Today, Three will switch on its 5G service with the introduction of a £35/month, high-speed, unlimited 5G broadband service in London. Three’s 5G network will reach 25 cities by the end of the year with no price premium for customers.
Matthew Howett, Founder & Principal Analyst at Assembly comments:
“Known for being the challenger operator in mobile, Three is now turning its attention to disrupting the fixed broadband market with its unlimited, no engineer required, ‘fibre-like speeds’ proposition. Vodafone having already launched its 5G service surprised most of us by also having an unlimited proposition, albeit segmented based on speed.
“Three is in a particularly strong position to have a successful fixed-wireless access product given its strong spectrum holdings. The large portfolio of contiguous spectrum it has is particularly useful for speed, reliability and capacity – something that will be crucial in the home broadband environment. The operator was once synonymous for having the least attractive set of airwaves, but after some clever acquisitions has amassed an enviable portfolio.
“Like most operators, however, the ability for Three to deploy 5G as planned depends on resolving the ongoing uncertainty around Huawei in the supply chain. Yet operators can't stand still. We estimate that any significant delay to the roll out of 5G could cost the UK economy between £4.5bn and £6.8bn.”
