What happened
Vodafone UK and Three UK agreed to merge in 2023. After review by the Competition and Markets Authority, which approved the deal with commitments on investment and pricing, the merger completed in 2025 and the combined business began trading as VodafoneThree. The owners committed to invest £11 billion over ten years in the combined network.
At first Vodafone Group owned 51 percent and CK Hutchison, Three’s owner, held 49 percent. In May 2026 Vodafone agreed to buy CK Hutchison’s stake for £4.3 billion, and the purchase completed at the end of July 2026. VodafoneThree is now wholly owned by Vodafone Group.
How the networks were joined
The two networks were combined in stages. First, spectrum was pooled on thousands of sites, which lifted 4G speeds for millions of Three customers. Then, in May 2026, VodafoneThree and Ericsson completed the integration of the two core and radio networks, using two network sharing technologies:
- MORAN, multi-operator radio access network, where the two operators share mast equipment but broadcast their own networks.
- MOCN, multi-operator core network, where the shared radio network connects to both operators’ cores, so a Vodafone or Three device can use any site in the shared network.
The result is that, on more than 10,000 sites, Vodafone and Three customers connect to whichever site gives the best service, whichever brand it used to belong to. VodafoneThree says this has removed more than 16,500 square kilometres of not spots and brought its fastest 5G to around 71 percent of the population. A new cloud native 5G core is also being rolled out, which supports standalone 5G features such as network slicing.
What it means for your SIMs
Existing Vodafone and Three fixed IP SIMs
Nothing needs to change. APNs, fixed public and private IP addresses, VPN settings and router configuration stay the same. Most users will simply see better coverage and speed where the other brand’s masts fill a gap.
Multi network SIMs
A multi network SIM that lists EE, O2, Vodafone and Three now effectively offers three independent network groups rather than four, because Vodafone and Three share sites in most areas. It is still far more resilient than a single network SIM. See multi network SIM cards.
Dual SIM routers
If you run a Vodafone SIM and a Three SIM in the two slots of a dual SIM router to get diversity, change one of them. A fault at a shared site, or in the shared core, could affect both. Pair VodafoneThree with EE or O2 instead.
Coverage checks
Old coverage surveys may understate what a Vodafone or Three SIM can now achieve at a site. If you ruled either brand out a few years ago, it is worth testing again.
The UK mobile map in 2026
| Network group | Owner | Brands |
|---|---|---|
| EE | BT Group | EE, BT Mobile, and MVNOs using EE |
| O2 | Virgin Media O2 | O2, Virgin Mobile, giffgaff, and MVNOs using O2 |
| VodafoneThree | Vodafone Group | Vodafone, Three, VOXI, SMARTY, Talkmobile, and MVNOs using either network |
Every network has also switched off 3G, and all have committed to retiring 2G by 2033 at the latest. New business and IoT deployments should use 4G, 5G, LTE-M or NB-IoT.
Questions we are often asked
Are Vodafone and Three still separate networks?
They are separate brands, but since May 2026 they share masts and core network across more than 10,000 sites, so in most areas they behave as one network.
Do I need to change my Vodafone or Three fixed IP SIM?
No. Existing SIMs, APNs and fixed IP addresses continue to work as before.
Does the merger reduce resilience for multi network SIMs?
Slightly. A multi network SIM now gives three independent network groups instead of four. For the highest resilience, make sure primary and backup connections use different groups.
Who owns VodafoneThree?
Vodafone Group. It bought CK Hutchison’s 49 percent stake in a deal agreed in May 2026 that completed in July 2026.