Three Thanks Customer-Centric Approach For 478,000 New Customers

Three says its customer-focused approach is paying dividends after the operator added 478,000 new customers during 2015 and increase annual revenues by six percent to £314m.

The UK’s smallest operator says initiatives like 4G at no extra cost and the abolition of some roaming charges through ‘Feel at Home’ have attracted users to the network and increased word of mouth recommendations.

It says 42 percent of all subscribers are using 4G and that average monthly data use has risen from 2GB to 3.3GB over the past year. Additionally, a third of customers cite Feel at Home as a main reason for being with the network.

Three customers

“By listening to our customers and focusing on their needs, our customers are happier than ever and their positive word of mouth is helping to attract more customers to Three,” said Three CEO Dave Dyson (left). “We will continue to enhance our network and provide the plans and offers to help customers stay connected in more places both in the UK and overseas.”

EE is rated by independent test firm RootMetrics as the best network in the UK, but its most recent trials found that Three is closing the gap in terms of quality and service. However, Three insists it believes YouGov surveys of customer satisfaction are a more important performance metric.

Over the next 12 months, the company plans to deploy 800MHz spectrum, Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and small cells to improve the reliability of its network, which is something customers demand more than anything else.

2015 could also be a big year for Three’s parent company Hutchison Whampoa, which is currently in negotiations with Telefonica about a possible takeover of O2 in the UK – a transaction which could make Three the largest operator in the UK in terms of customers.

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