If you believe independent tests, Three already has perhaps the UK’s best performing 5G network, often beating rivals for average, median, and maximum download speeds, but soon its network could become slightly better still, thanks to a spectrum change Ofcom is proposing.
The telecoms regulator has proposed changing the “permitted frequencies” in the 3.9GHz band from 3925-4009MHz (which is some of the spectrum Three currently uses) to 3800-3884MHz.
So the change would leave Three with the same total amount of spectrum, but it could make the use of the wider 3.8-4.2GHz band more efficient. On top of which, Three itself has claimed this move would “potentially lower its equipment costs.”
Whether this would mean much for Three’s customers in unclear – it’s unlikely to result in lower prices, but it could mean Three has more money to invest in its network, and thereby improve 5G coverage and performance.
It’s a move that’s also supported by Shared Access users like the BBC and Neutral Wireless, as along with increasing the efficiency, this would also give them access to more contiguous spectrum, with only one spectrum boundary rather than the current three.
So it sounds like this change would be widely appreciated by the companies it affects, but for now it’s still in the consultation phase, with Ofcom expected to make a decision next spring.
If this change does go ahead though then it could provide a small boost to Three, which alongside the likely massive boost of merging with Vodafone could truly make this a network to be reckoned with.
