Three UK

Three UK is a telecommunications and internet service provider operating in the United Kingdom as a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa. The company launched in March 2003 as the UK's first commercial video mobile network. It provides 3G and 4G services through its own network infrastructure.

History

The Three mobile service was launched in the UK on 3 March 2003 (03-03-03), with handsets going on sale later that month. This made Three the UK’s first commercial video mobile network. On 9 December 2004, Three announced that they were the first network to meet their regulatory requirement of 80% population coverage in the UK.

Three's first retail stores (3Store) opened at the same time as the network launched, on Oxford Street and High Street Kensington, both in London, and at the Birmingham Mailbox. Three's handsets and contracts are also sold by mobile telephony chains and independents throughout the UK, as well as online retailers. In 2005, an expansion of the 3Store portfolio saw stores opened in larger malls throughout the UK, such as the Bluewater Shopping Centre, and The Mall at Cribbs Causeway near Bristol. On 24 October 2006, Three announced that it had purchased 95 high street shops from O2 and The Link.