Latest news with #VodafoneThree
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
5G phone mast 'set on fire deliberately' as VodafoneThree 'support police probe'
The telecoms giant said a firebug started the blaze. Scots 5G mast destroyed by flames A Scots 5G mast which went ablaze leading to nearby residents being evacuated was started deliberately, a mobile phone company has said. The blaze tore through the mobile phone mast late on Wednesday June 19, leading to residents and vehicles being evacuated from the Ardrossan street in North Ayrshire. Enough much damage was caused to the radio antenna for the company to then take the mast down. VodafoneThree, the network which owns the mast, have now said the blaze last week was started deliberately. The newly-merged mobile phone company also said they are assisting Police Scotland with a probe into the incident. A VodafoneThree spokesperson told the Record: "A mast in Stanley Road was damaged earlier this month in an arson attack. "The equipment has been safely removed and we are working to bring the site back online as quickly as possible. " Service is being provided by nearby sites but customers may notice a degradation in service while we bring the site back online. "We are supporting the police as they conduct their enquiries." We told previously how locals in the Ayrshire town were woken from their beds in the early hours of the morning as flames tore through the mast, inches from a park. Residents were later allowed to return to their properties as work to extinguish the blaze and make the mast safe continued. The clear-up operation in the town's Stanley Road lasted until around 4am on Thursday June 19, and the road was shut and cordoned off by police. The cordon ran from outside the Stanleys Kitchen Chinese takeaway to the junction with St Andrew's Road, at the other side of the park, and the road was closed for around eight hours. One local said: "We got woken up at about 1am with the door being rattled so we could move our cars. We had no clue it was on fire, we were in such a deep sleep. "It must have happened just before midnight last night. They were drilling and there was a fire engine there until about 3.45am this morning. The road was shut from the Chinese to the other junction at St Andrew's Road. They reopened the road about 9am, there were firefighters back sweeping the road this morning. It's just the path next to it that's closed now." Another local said: "There's a park right next to the mast which has a football pitch and goals. The kids from the nearby streets play in it all day, every day. It's just as well this happened at night, because if it had happened during the day then it could have been much, much worse. I dread to think how it could've turned out." Pictures showed the body of the mast and the top of it charred black, with the box at the bottom also fire damaged. Debris from the mast was left strewn across the road. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson previously said: "We were alerted at 11.41pm on Wednesday, June 18, to reports of a telephone mast on fire in Ardrossan. "Operations Control mobilised one appliance to the town's Stanley Road, where firefighters were met by a well-developed fire. Crews worked to make the area safe before leaving the scene." A Police Scotland spokesperson had also said: "Around 12.10am on Thursday, June 19, 2025, we received a report of a mast fire on Stanley Road, Ardrossan and officers attended to assist." No new statement was provided by the force regarding VodafoneThree's support of any inquiry.
Glasgow Times
18-06-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
New defibrillator installed on Glasgow mobile phone mast
The potentially life-saving equipment has been fitted to the mast's cabinet, situated at the corner of Easterhouse Road and Springcroft Road, Swinton in Glasgow. This instillation was completed following calls from Baillieston councillor, Kevin Lalley who was on the lookout for a suitable location for the unit donated by an anonymous resident. Councillor Lalley approached VodafoneThree, which, along with mobile infrastructure partner Cornerstone, installed the unit on the supporting cabinet of the mast which provides the defibrillator with the power it needs to function properly. Read more: Warning issued as over 100,000 Scots could be left without heating and hot water (Image: Supplied) Councillor Lalley said: "I wish to thank VodafoneThree for assisting the community of Swinton and the wider Baillieston community with their assistance to install this defibrillator. "This is a fantastic initiative and is solely down to one of Swinton's residents. "This lady, who wishes to remain anonymous, approached me and, together, this facility has arrived in our community. "This lady has kindly donated the defibrillator and a very big thank you goes to her for thinking of others. "This can potentially save lives. "Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time, and having defibrillators in a public place, ready for use, is so important." Read more: STV presenter 'brings the sunshine' to officially open Glasgow care home Miranda van Gestel, chief customer officer at Cornerstone, said: "When St John's contacted VodafoneThree about installing a defibrillator on one of our infrastructure cabinets, we were delighted to support the initiative. "This collaboration shows how our shared footprint can do more than deliver connectivity, it can also help save lives. "We're proud to play a part and look forward to exploring more ways we can partner with VodafoneThree for community good." Kris Sanderson, VodafoneThree's network regional manager, added: "When we heard about the need for the defibrillator placement, we were only too happy to help. "We hope it's never needed, but it's a massively important piece of equipment for the local community, and we're delighted to be supporting it."
Daily Record
12-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Millions of Brits get free mobile upgrade as two major firms confirm change
Two popular networks are joining forces which could spell good news for millions of customers across the UK Changes to your mobile phone can seem like a daunting prospect. Brits might find it all too easy to get lost in the tech jargon, as word comes from your smartphone company that they are modifying an aspect of your device. However, millions of Vodafone and Three customers are set for one kind of boost that should be very welcome - an improvement in their mobile signal, as the networks, which have recently merged, unveils its £11billion grand plans. The firms are joining forces to create a platform called VodafoneThree, meaning it will now be the UK's biggest. In just two weeks' time, seven million Three users and its budget sub-brand SMARTY will see their services get better. This includes a 20 per cent average speed uplift on 4G for everything from surfing the web to texting pals. And that's not all. Wait just a few more months, and 27 mobile subscribers across both Vodafone and Three will start to benefit from full access to roam on each other's networks. This will be made available at no extra cost. This will get rid of dreaded "not spots" from parts of the country amounting to ten times the size of London. VodafoneThree has confirmed that its various brands will remain separate. This not only includes Vodafone and Three, but also VOXI, SMARTY and Talkmobile. However, Vodafone will be the only brand for business customers. "A new era of connectivity has begun," Max Taylor, CEO, VodafoneThree, said. "We will connect every nation, every community, in every corner of the UK. "We will build the UK's best 5G network with an unprecedented £11bn privately funded infrastructure project, laying the digital foundation for our country's growth ambitions. "Benefits for our 27 million mobile customers will start within months, with access to roam across both networks at no extra cost. "From big cities to small towns, and everywhere in between, our mission is to build the UK's best network." Along with the coverage boost, VodafoneThree reckons it will make its cutsomer service better. Within two years the company will open two new customer care centres in Belfast and Sheffield, bringing 400 sales and customer service roles back to the UK, alongside the existing call centres in Glasgow and Stoke. Other exciting developments we can anticipate are the beta trials on a "first-of-its-kind," space-based satellite mobile network that VodaFoneThree says it will launch next year. This will support the existing network build, eliminating coverage gaps in places that otherwise couldn't be reached. Lastly, even customers of other providers - such as EE and O2 - will be able to try VodafoneThree's network with a seven-day, free, eSIM trial. By simply scanning a QR code, customers will be able to try the network with the same phone and same contact details. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
All the mobile phone providers offering improved coverage for free
Vodafone and Three have completed their £15 billion mega-merger, creating the UK's largest mobile network. The merged company, VodafoneThree, promises improved coverage for its 27 million customers at no extra cost within months, with benefits extending to Voxi, Smarty, and Talkmobile users. Within two weeks, seven million Three and Smarty customers will see up to a 20 per cent improvement in 4G data speeds, while all 27 million customers will gain access to roam on both networks within months. By the end of the year, VodafoneThree aims to eliminate 16,500 sq/km of 'not spots' and plans to launch satellite-based mobile network coverage trials by next year. VodafoneThree intends to challenge the broadband market with fibre or 'fibre-like' speeds and will create 400 jobs by opening customer care centres in Belfast and Sheffield.
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Millions of mobile phone customers offered better coverage at ‘no extra cost'
The biggest mobile phone network in the UK has promised its 27 million customers better coverage 'at no extra cost' within months. VodafoneThree – created following the completion of the £15 billion mega-merger between Vodafone and Three just last week – said customers will experience better signal with shared access across both networks at no extra cost. Voxi, Smarty and Talkmobile – which use the Three and Vodafone networks – are also set to benefit. VodafoneThree said within two weeks, seven million Three and Smarty customers will receive an improvement in 4G data speed of up to 20 per cent, while 27 million Vodafone and Three customers will start to benefit from 'unrivalled' access to roam on each other's networks at no extra cost with a few months. It said the changes would happen automatically, with customers' phones simply connecting to the best coverage available. By the end of the year, this would remove a total of 16,500 sq/km of 'not spots' – equivalent to 10 times the size of London – with the first sites already having been turned on. It has also announced plans to launch trials of a 'first of its kind' space-based satellite mobile network coverage by this time next year to eliminate more 'not spots'. VodafoneThree said it aimed to challenge the broadband market by aiming to cover all homes with fibre or 'fibre-like' speeds, starting with a new partnership with Community Fibre on top of existing partnerships with CityFibre and Openreach. Two additional customer care centres in Belfast and Sheffield would bring 400 jobs back to the UK, with no planned retail redundancies, it added. VodafoneThree chief executive Max Taylor said that a 'new era of connectivity has begun'. 'We will connect every nation, every community, in every corner of the UK. We will build the UK's best 5G network with an unprecedented £11 billion privately-funded infrastructure project, laying the digital foundation for our country's growth ambitions. 'Benefits for our 27 million mobile customers will start within months, with access to roam across both networks at no extra cost. From big cities to small towns, and everywhere in between, our mission is to build the UK's best network.'
