Three provides consistently reliable speeds across the board

Consistency is key for many people, whether for work, rest, or play. When it comes to connectivity, reliability and speed are paramount as more people work remotely or live in rural areas where high quality network coverage is crucial.

As that need continues to grow, providers must match demand but also think about the future, which Three Ireland has been doing.

The work it has put into its network and infrastructure continues to pay off, with Three’s 5G broadband now available to more than 1.7 million homes and businesses across the country, almost double that of the same time last year.

For businesses and communities across Ireland this is a real game-changer, as Three now has 85% population coverage on its 5G network, meaning that customers up and down the country can avail of high speeds and reliable broadband.

Additional sites are being activated every week across towns and villages – with more than eight out of ten customers able to access high-speed broadband coverage wherever they are.

Adding to that, Three has been named Ireland’s fastest 5G network for the fourth consecutive time and the fastest overall mobile network for the fifth successive time.

The results were verified by Ookla Speedtest, the global leader in broadband network intelligence, and came from a series of tests it carried out in the second half of 2022.

Through its analysis, it determined that Three Ireland has not only held onto the top spot but increased its score and further stretching its lead against its nearest rivals.

Speaking about the news, David Hennessy, chief technology officer of Three Ireland and Three UK, said it was “fantastic to once again see the recognition for Three Ireland” in not just maintaining its lead but expanding on it in newer mediums like 5G.

In the tests, Three Ireland achieved a speed score of 58.30, ahead of its nearest rival which scored 41.25. For its 5G network, it achieved a speed score of 179.18, a significant distance ahead of its closest competitor which scored 92.90.

In speed tests, Three’s 5G network was able to reach median download speeds of 197.19 Mbs across the board.

Ookla compiled the data by comparing 273,317 user-initiated tests and 71,308 user-initiated 5G tests taken on its Speedtest iOS and Android apps.

This was done with all the major mobile networks across the country to determine who has the fastest mobile speeds and fastest 5G speeds respectively.

In determining the score, 80% of the final score speed is attributed to download speed, while the remaining 20% is attributed to upload speed. Emphasis is placed on download and median speeds that represent what most customers will experience daily.

A high standard set

The latest results show the high standard that Three has set over the past number of years, providing a high-quality network and reliable connectivity to customers year after year.

Since launch of its 5G network in September 2020, Three has been investing significant time and effort into its infrastructure. With the rollout happening during the pandemic, Three responded to the geographic changes in demand for its services by ensuring its 5G network was initially rolled out in both rural and suburban areas.

The improvement in coverage and increased speeds were greatly appreciated at this time when accessibility to high-quality broadband connections was paramount.

Hennessy puts this down to the efforts of the entire Three Ireland team across the board.

“I’m thrilled that our network continues to outperform the market because of the hard work and dedication by the entire team at Three,” he said. “And we are delighted to be named the fastest mobile network and fastest 5G network by Ookla”.

5G is starting to make inroads among Irish mobile users, offering low latency and high speeds. As it can be 10 times faster than 4G, it is suitable for tasks like HD video calls, streaming HD movies and TV shows, and online gaming.

As Ireland’s largest telecommunications provider, Three Ireland has pushed itself to deliver the best network experience to its customers across the country.

The success in being named Ireland’s fastest 5G network comes at an appropriate time, as it recently announced that access to its 5G network is now free across mobile plans for all new customers. Additionally, existing customers will see 5G rolled out for free over the coming months.

As the first mobile network in the country to offer this as standard, all its users will be able to avail of both the major speed boost and coverage 5G provides. Users will need to be in an area with 5G and have a compatible device to be able to avail of it.

Elaine Carey, chief commercial officer for Three Ireland and Three UK, said the move would bring customers “a truly richer connectivity experience, whether it’s shopping, studying, or gaming.

“At Three, we want to provide our customers with true value and a better-connected life, and we’re doing just that by introducing free 5G across all of our mobile plans” she said.

The opportunities 5G allows both individuals and businesses is a degree of freedom to access services and content wherever they are.

It allows people to work more productively while on the move, share documents, files and videos of any size, and carry out any task they need without interruption. All of which will change the way we live and do business now and in the future.