3 celebrates three years of 3G in the UK

March 6, 2006

3UK celebrated its third birthday in the UK.

3 launched the UK's first 3G network on 3rd March 2003, setting out to challenge the status quo in the UK mobile market by offering customers a new generation of communication, entertainment and information services. By August 2005, 3 had over 3.2 million customers in the UK, more customers on 3G than all the other networks put together. 3 reached its first million customers faster than any other operator in the history of UK telecoms.

Bob Fuller, 3 UK CEO, said: "We have achieved an incredible amount in just three years. 3 built the UK's first third generation mobile network from scratch and brought 3G services to the UK market - mobile music, mobile video calling and mobile TV. We have established a brand new market and we will continue to lead it."

"The last three years have given us a unique insight to the development of this new technology and how people use it. The 3G market continues to evolve at a tremendous speed in the hands of our customers, and yet the exciting story of 3G has only just begun."

Bob Fuller went on to say: "It has been an amazing journey so far for 3 in the UK. We've built the network, established a significant customer base, generated all these new services and created a whole ecosystem around 3G that will grow and grow. 3G is the future of telecoms. We clearly understand the market and are able to continuously shape and define that market. We are determined to continue leading its development."