Operator 3 UK agreed a deal with Ericsson for the vendor to deliver a next-generation cloud-native packet core network which it believes will be the largest in Europe, as it bids to respond to huge recent increases in data usage.

The UK telecoms company stated the core network would be powered by Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G product and run on its cloud native infrastructure.

It will sit on 3’s nationwide distributed data centre offering, which “brings its core network closer to customers”.

The operator is embroiled in a process to merge with local rival Vodafone UK, with the deal expected to complete at some point in the first half of this year.

Tsunami
3 stated data usage “exploded” in recent years, surpassing 2Tb/s in December 2024 due to streaming of Premier League football and gaming updates.

Interestingly, it revealed the feat comes around two years after its network hit 1Tb/s for the first time, a milestone which took two decades to reach.

Aside from coping with data demand, Ericsson said its core network capabilities will help 3 scale capacity growth to support future needs; enhance stability with less downtime; offer greater network insights; provide in-service software upgrades; and enhance environmental performance.

The infrastructure and core network are already installed in 3 UK’s data centres and will be partially operational by the end of the year, with careful migration of all traffic over the next few years.

Iain Milligan, chief network officer at 3, said the last few years had seen a tsunami of data growth, with traffic at peak times doubling in a little over two years.

“Our new core network with Ericsson ensures we are able to support our customers’ data usage over the medium and long-term.”