Three introduces free roaming in US, confirms free 4G upgrade for customers this December

The mobile network will be the only carrier to offer the upgrade to the new high-speed mobile network for no extra charge

(Getty Images)

Mobile operator Three is extending its free roaming policy to include the US, Sri Lanka and Macau for all pay-as-you-go and monthly contracts.

The ‘Feel At Home’ service means that charges for data, texts, and calls are the same in included countries as in the UK. Australia, Austria, Denmark, Italy and Hong Kong were already included in the scheme.

Rival networks offer free roaming in Europe but Three is the first to extend this policy to America.

Three’s chief executive Dave Dyson commented that they wanted customers “to get the most out of their devices at home or abroad. High roaming charges stop people enjoying their phones while they’re away and Feel At Home is the antidote to that.”

In the same press release, Three also confirmed their plans to roll out a high-speed 4G network. The upgrades started earlier this week for customers in London, Birmingham and Manchester and will “accelerate” in January.

Three promises that all customers with compatible devices will be given access to 4G for no extra cost by the end of the first quarter in 2014, with the network aiming to include 50 cities in their 4G plan by the end of 2014 and 98 per cent of the population by the end of 2015.

This automatic upgrade will mean that Three will be the only network to offer unlimited 4G data plans. Rivals Vodafone and and EE have claimed that most customers do not need unlimited data, but the option is certainly useful for those that might tether a laptop or computer to their mobile device.

Image credit: Three.