Sign of the times: Data now makes up 97% of UK mobile operator Three’s traffic

It appears that offering all-you-can-eat data packages for its smartphone customers has tempted a fair number of customers after UK mobile operator Three announced that data now constitutes 97% of the network traffic flowing through its networks.

Three is now the UK’s fastest growing mobile network, buoyed by an increase in mobile consumers switching from its rivals with promises of unlimited data on both its monthly and pay-as-you-go tariffs, resulting in a 427% increase in data usage on its networks, as customers use their connections to download apps, stream films and TV shows and check their social networking accounts on the go.

In March, the mobile operator has launched a new unlimited data plan in its Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) tariffs, allowing customers to consume as much mobile data as they wish for as little as £15 over a 30-day period.

This followed the introduction of The One Plan, which ditched the 1GB cap on monthly contracts and opened up the possibility to download as much content as possible, but also provide customers with the option to tether their devices using the plan, bringing connectivity to other devices via the mobile connection.

Three has made its name as the UK’s prominent data network, making it a very real alternative to the bigger networks like O2 and Vodafone. The company continues to share T-Mobile’s networks to provide access to mobile signals in more places across the UK.