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Mobile operator VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) has revealed that 8,000 mast sites have now been upgraded to implement their new Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN). This is one of the first big benefits of the recent merger (here and here) – allowing customers to roam across both networks at no extra cost (whichever one provides the best signal).
As previously reported, it could take a total of 8 years to fully complete the roll-out of these upgrades (it will be 95% complete after 6 years). The deployment is thus initially being strategically focused on areas of the country that will gain the most benefit from it (i.e. those with a poor 4G or 5G signal from one or the other operator).
The fact they’ve gone from 600 sites in August 2025 to 8,000 now means that they’re on course to hit or possibly even exceed their original target of 9,000 sites by the end of the first year of VodafoneThree being formed (March 2026).
Andrea Dona, Chief Network Officer, VodafoneThree said:
“I’m incredibly proud that we’ve reached another significant milestone in our mission to build the UK’s best network.
The team have been working extremely hard to deliver this world-leading project, bringing the Vodafone and Three networks together to unlock significant benefits for customers across the UK.
Today, more than 21 million customers in over 8,000 locations can connect to the best available coverage at no extra cost, with many now enjoying 4G and 5G where it wasn’t previously available, and faster speeds overall.
However this is just the beginning, so I’m even more excited to see what we can deliver together over the coming years.”
The merged company ultimately also aims to reach 99% UK population coverage of their 5G Standalone (5G SA) network by 2030 and then 99.96% by 2034, while also pushing fixed wireless access (mobile home broadband) to 82% of households by 2030. But we’d much prefer to see figures for geographic coverage.