Three UK is quickly establishing a reputation as being among one of the best carrier services in the world. Here in the UK, it’s the only network to offer truly unlimited, all-you-can-eat data for a flat monthly fee, and with the company’s big 4G LTE roll-out beginning this month, the company has already advised customers that its famously relaxed data packages will continue to apply as if it were running 3G. On top of that, Three UK has also been seeking to offer customers a better deal when travelling abroad, with UK users able to use their tariff as usual in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy or Sweden. Today, the United States has been added to that roster, meaning those on Three UK can roam the Web in the States without incurring any of those nasty post-holiday bills.
As well as adding the U.S., those travelling to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, or Macau can also take advantage of their usual UK data, text, and calling allowance, and considering how long operators have been charging consumers extortionate amounts for mobile usage abroad, Three is making massive steps to change the way things operate.
T-Mobile in the U.S. is playing a similar game to that of Three UK, in that it is drawing new customers in with exceptional, never-before-seen deals. T-Mo offers data roaming in over 100 nations around the world, and although these are only 2G speeds, it’s still a lot more convenient for a mobile user than having to source a Wi-Fi hotspot when in a foreign land.
On the topic of Three’s 4G services, the process looks set to begin this week, and if you’re a Three customer with a compliant handset, you will be upgraded at no extra cost. The entire process should be complete by the end of the first quarter of next year, so even if you don’t happen to see 4G on your Three smartphone this side of the new year, you won’t be left waiting more than a couple of months before you can enjoy ultra-fast data roaming.
It will be interesting to see, given how much better Three’s deals are than other carriers, whether they begin to follow suit and offer more palatable packages. Time will tell; but right now, for a UK customer, Three is most definitely where it’s at.
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