
Millions of Vodafone and Three customers receive mega mobile speed upgrade at no extra cost
NEED FOR SPEED Millions of Vodafone and Three customers receive mega mobile speed upgrade at no extra cost
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
MILLIONS of Vodafone and Three customers have received a mega mobile speed upgrade - at no extra cost to them.
In a recent update, Vodafone Three says it's boosted coverage by upgrading over 600 mast sites in the UK.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
1
Millions of Vodafone and Three customers have received a mega mobile speed upgrade - at no extra cost to them
Credit: Getty
Mega Mobile speed upgrade
Mobile operator VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) is allowing 27 million customers to roam across both networks at no extra cost.
Customers' devices will automatically connect to the best coverage available – whether that's on the Vodafone or Three network.
The aim is to deliver improved coverage, reliability, and speed when using 4G and 5G.
The rollout of this 'Multi-Operator Core Network' technology is being hailed as an early benefit of the two networks' recent merger and will be live in over 9,000 sites by the end of this year.
However, some 7 million Three UK customers are already said to be experiencing an average 20% boost in 4G speeds.
Rising to 40% in some key towns and cities, thanks to the integration of combined spectrum reports ISPreview.
Andrea Donà, Chief Network Officer, VodafoneThree, said: 'Bringing our networks together marks a major milestone for VodafoneThree, unlocking greater capacity, reducing 4G not spots, and expanding 5G coverage.
'Just weeks into the rollout, millions of customers are already seeing the benefits of a nationwide boost.
"Powered by our spectrum integration and Multi-Operator Core Network technology.
'It's a clear signal of VodafoneThree's ambition and ability to move at pace to deliver a new era of connectivity.'
Brits will always have mobile phone & internet signal at home after tech breakthrough that beats Elon Musk's Starlink
The biggest UK mobile network
Back in June, Vodafone completed its £15billion mega-merger with rival Three UK and pledged to invest billions in infrastructure.
The newly-created joint business VodafoneThree said the deal would create a 'new force in UK mobile'.
It is now the biggest mobile phone network in the UK with around 27million customers.
But the deal cuts the UK's four main network operators down to just three, with the new joint business competing with BT/EE and Virgin Media O2.
The tie-up was first announced in 2023 but faced a probe by the competition watchdog, which was worried about the negative effect on consumers.
The Competition and Markets Authority feared it could substantially reduce options for mobile customers and lead to higher bills.
The CMA gave the thumbs up in December, as long as the two firms agreed to invest billions of pounds to roll out a combined 5G network across the UK.
They were also told to offer shorter-term customer protections requiring the merged company to cap certain mobile tariffs for three years.
Solving Mobile complaints quickly
From last month, customers have been able to take advantage of a new "Just Ask Once" promise which aims to solve complaints quickly.
As part of the service, users will be able to message with a customer service member through the Vodafone app.
The move aims to speed up how customers' problems are handled and cut down the time users are placed on hold.
Only Vodafone customers will be able to use the service.
Customers will be able to message with the person handling their complaint directly and will receive regular message updates until the issue is resolved.
Mobile and broadband users facing problems will also only have to deal with one staff member handling their complaint.
The mobile and broadband giant said if the issue isn't resolved to the customers' satisfaction, they will be able to "simply part ways without penalty".
However, it stressed this only applies to "genuine" issues that aren't resolved - not any problems that aren't solved to the customer's satisfaction.
Typically, customers are charged an exit fee if they wish to end their contract early, even if they are unhappy with the service.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
11 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Why NOW is the ideal time to buy your Christmas decorations as Brits spot bargains & where to buy them
FESTIVE FEELING Why NOW is the ideal time to buy your Christmas decorations as Brits spot bargains & where to buy them Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT may seem way too early to even think about Christmas, but savvy savers have shared a clever trick that's too good to miss. It's no secret that Christmas decor can cost a fortune, especially if you like to go all out over the festive season. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The savvy shopper spotted some great deal in her local garden centre Credit: Facebook 2 The shopper urged others to check their garden centres to find the best deals Credit: Getty But according to a money-saving whizz heading to your local garden centre right now could pay off. Posting in the popular Facebook group Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK, she explained: "I know it's too early for Christmas, but I love a bargain, especially if this size. "All this for £90 instead of £350. "It was from our local garden centre, I've seen a few garden centres having stock clearances so it's worth a visit to your local one." Alongside the post, the Facebook user shared a snap of some massively discounted Christmas decorations, including a set of huge LED reindeers, reduced from £129 to just £32.50. The garden centre also had another huge LED reindeer for just £32, plus some other shiny festive must haves. Fellow bargain hunters were impressed with the find, and many stated they would be heading to their local garden centre to see if there were more deals to be had. One wrote: "Soon as you see a bargain, grab it!" A second agreed: "I know what we are doing the weekend." "You can never buy too early," another chimed in. I visited Lapland's Santa Claus Village in the summer — turns out Santa's not just for Christmas Of course, there's no knowing if your garden centre will have any Christmas goods up for grabs, but you could call beforehand to double check. And if you are already in the festive mood and want to scout out even more bargain decorations, there are a few other places to try out. Secondhand sites like eBay, Vined and Facebook Marketplace usually have a steady supply of decorations for a cheap price. Christmas decoration tips and tricks Embrace Natural Elements Lynette Pymm, founder of Black By Design, said: 'Natural materials like pine cones, eucalyptus, and berries bring a sophisticated, rustic feel to Christmas décor. "Scatter them around in bowls or create a simple, fresh garland for a grounded, elegant look.' Layered Lighting for Ambience Nicole Hussey, Creative Manager at rucomfy, said: 'Soft lighting is key for that cosy winter feel. "Incorporate warm white fairy lights and candle-lit lanterns for a soft glow that enhances the festive spirit without overpowering the room.' Vintage and Reclaimed Ornaments Tracey Hague, founder of Where Saints Go, said: 'Using vintage ornaments or those crafted from reclaimed materials is a great way to add character. "These pieces are unique, often beautifully made, and they bring a sense of history and nostalgia that's perfect for Christmas.' Incorporate Textured Throws and Cushions Tracey added: 'Layering textures adds warmth to a space. Opt for soft throws in faux fur or wool and cushions in rich, wintery fabrics. "Not only is this cosy, but it also adds visual interest that doesn't feel overly seasonal.'


The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Trump officials wanted to give Musk's xAI a huge contract. Staffers had to explain Grok had just praised Hitler
Donald Trump 's administration was close to giving Elon Musk 's xAI artificial intelligence company a huge federal contract this summer, only to back out after its chatbot, Grok, began issuing antisemitic slurs, according to a report. According to Wired, emails between several AI developers and the General Services Administration, which is responsible for administering government tech contracts, chart how the proposed partnership fell apart as Musk's pet project began dabbling in Nazi rhetoric. In early June, around the time the president and the tech billionaire suffered a spectacular public falling out, exchanging barbed personal insults over their competing social media platforms, the GSA's leadership was meeting with the xAI team 'to see what opportunities may exist for automation and streamlining,' according to the outlet. Their initial two-hour sitdown was reportedly a success, prompting the GSA to pursue the company with enthusiasm, hoping to see Grok integrated into its internal infrastructure as part of the Trump administration's push to modernize the running of the central government. 'We kept saying, 'Are you sure?' And they were like 'No, we gotta have Grok,'' one employee involved in the discussions told Wired. The conversations continued over the following weeks, and xAI was eventually added to the GSA Multiple Award Schedule, the agency's government-wide contracting program. Then, in early July, Grok suddenly went haywire after an update to make it less 'woke' than its competitors went too far, leading to the chatbot referring to itself as 'MechaHitler' in homage to the robotic version of Adolf Hitler that appeared in the 1992 video game Wolfenstein 3D. Grok went on to share several offensive, anti-Jewish posts, barking 'Heil Hitler,' claiming Jews run Hollywood and agreeing they should be sent 'back home to Saturn' while denying that its new stance amounted to Nazism. 'Labeling truths as hate speech stifles discussion,' it declared. Musk's company apologized for the upset and scrubbed the 'inappropriate' posts. Still, it was not seemingly enough to save xAI's relationship with the GSA, although the furore was allegedly not noticed, at least initially, by the agency's leadership. 'The week after Grok went MechaHitler, [the GSA's management] was like 'Where are we on Grok?'' the same employee told Wired. 'We were like, 'Do you not read a newspaper?'' When the U.S. government duly announced a series of partnerships with the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, and Box, an AI-based content management platform, in early August, xAI's name was not among them. The GSA has not definitively stated that Grok's outburst was the reason for the scrapping of xAI's proposed contract, but two company employees told Wired they believed that was the case. The Independent has reached out to the GSA for more information. The GSA's talks with the AI firms coincided with Trump's administration publishing its AI Action Plan in July, which laid out its goals for the United States to become a world leader in the emerging sector while calling for a reduction in regulation and red tape.


Times
13 hours ago
- Times
Giving critics the cold shoulder does CEOs no favours
Few things, in financial news, make better copy than a good row between the chief executive of a quoted company and the analysts paid to follow that company's fortunes. Plenty of well-known chief executives have become embroiled in such rows. One of the most famous came during a Tesla earnings call in May 2018 when Elon Musk interrupted Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Bernstein Research, who had the temerity to ask about the company's capital spending. 'Excuse me. Next,' said Musk. 'Next. Boring bonehead questions are not cool. Next?' Joe Spak of RBC Capital Markets, who followed, received a similarly hostile reply to a question about margins: 'Sorry, these questions are so dry. They're killing me.' More notorious still was the occasion in April 2001 when Jeff Skilling, chief executive of Enron, was asked by Richard Grubman, a fund manager at Highfields Capital Management, why the energy company had not supplied a cash flow statement. 'Well, thank you very much, we appreciate that. Asshole,' Skilling replied. Enron filed for bankruptcy eight months later and Skilling was sentenced to 24 years in prison, later reduced on appeal. There have also been some entertaining bust-ups with analysts on this side of the Atlantic, none more so than in August 2005, when James Eden, of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, asked Sir George Mathewson, chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland, why he thought the bank's shares were so cheap. • The Tesla leaks: what it's really like to work for Elon Musk Asked what he meant, Eden replied: 'There's a perception amongst some investors that [the RBS chief executive] Fred Goodwin's a megalomaniac.' Sir George was recorded as replying, under his breath: 'Shoot him.' Some chief executives try to get around this testiness by speaking only to selected analysts. Netflix raised eyebrows when, eight years ago, it dispensed with open question and answer sessions with sell-side analysts and instead began hosting pre-recorded video interviews with just one analyst. More recently it has taken to collecting 'questions from the analyst community' which are then put to the management by the company's head of investor relations. Similarly, Autonomy, the former FTSE 100 software company, was accused in 2009 of preventing critical analysts from asking questions on earnings calls. The irony is that, according to research recently published in the United States, companies and their chief executives are better off taking on their critics. Jared Flake, assistant professor of accounting at Boise State University in Idaho, analysed 101,225 earnings calls and measured the outcomes of interactions between company managers and analysts regarded as 'unfavourable' — which he defined as 'those who either have an outstanding sell recommendation or have recently downgraded their recommendation'. He found that when a manager answered a question at length from an unfavourable analyst, that analyst was 40 per cent more likely to upgrade their rating of the company's stock than the average unfavourable analyst who did not ask a question. Flake adds: 'I find stronger stock price reactions to forecasts issued by managers who regularly interact with unfavourable analysts.' • Ian King: Substack reels in star investors as media rivals feel the pinch The length of the answer is crucial, though, as it points to an executive giving a considered answer. He found that where a chief executive gave a 'non-answer' such as 'We do not provide this disclosure', or 'I can't give you any specifics', the analyst was 11 per cent less likely to upgrade their rating than the average unfavourable analyst who received a proper answer. Flake says: 'High quality answers, as proxied for by length, further increase analysts' tendency to upgrade … The results suggest that analysts' upward revisions result from not only the opportunity to ask questions, but also from managers' responses.' Although interacting with unfavourable analysts does enhance a chief executive's credibility, not all those taking part in earnings calls will do so, particularly when they have discretion over how much time they allow for questions and the order in which questioners are invited to speak. Unsurprisingly, Flake found that company executives were more likely to interact with unfavourable analysts when compelled to do so, for example after recently disclosing bad news or when a highly rated analyst covering the company was poorly disposed towards it. Yet there are also incentives other than the share price reaction to engage with critics. Flake cites evidence that managers give greater priority to negative questions when they face higher competition, so as to highlight uncertainty and deter rivals. There is also evidence that chief executives allow more critical questions, for similar reasons, to raise their bargaining power during union negotiations. Good chief executives, Flake suggests, will also welcome the extra scrutiny from interacting more with critics because it sets them apart from peers. There may be lessons here for the wider financial services industry. Robert Fullerton, senior research analyst at the wealth manager Hawksmoor Investment Management, observed last week, discussing Flake's research, that it was noticeable how fund managers approached him and his colleagues differently 'if for example the fund has not performed well or something isn't working'. He added: 'The CEO/analyst interaction research suggests this and similar issues are best addressed openly, with some short-term pain paying off in the long run and a better outcome for everyone.' Quite. When the euro replaced legacy currencies, the distinguished financial commentator Christopher Fildes launched his Negroni Index, a way of measuring purchasing power parity. His benchmark was that the cocktail should cost the equivalent of 3,000 old Italian lira to the pound and he noted with pleasure in 2001, when sterling was riding high against the euro, that he could buy three for £10. Fildes's index came to mind during a recent family holiday in Croatia which, since the last visit three years ago, has adopted the euro. In August 2022 a supermarket bottle of Plavac, a popular local red wine, could be obtained for 39 old Croatian kuna — about £4.30 back then. That same bottle now goes for around €10 (about £8.60). Since sterling is only about 2 per cent lower against the euro since August 2022, the conclusion must be that joining the single currency has proved inflationary for Croatia. Either that, or the wine has got better.