Three has revamped and relaunched ‘Discovery’ across 297 stores in the UK
· First launched in 2014, the initiative delivers free digital skills workshops to individuals, children in education, community groups, charities and businesses, regardless of whether they are a Three customer or not
· 11 million people in the UK are currently digitally disadvantaged, highlighting the need for digital upskilling[1]
25 January 2023: Three UK, the mobile network with the UK’s fastest 5G and 297 retail stores, has today announced the launch of a revamped ‘Discovery’ service offering digital skills and capabilities training instore.
First launched as a concept store before being rolled out nationwide in 2017, Three’s Discovery programme delivers digital training for local communities of all ages and abilities, no matter what network they are on.
The pioneering initiative reflects Three’s ongoing commitment to empower and educate local communities by teaching them essential digital skills, ensuring that mobile technology is accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Three’s stores kicked off the first phase of the relaunch in June and all stores have joined since. Over 14,000 Discovery sessions have been given instore since the relaunch, whilst nearly 1000 digital skills workshops have also been presented to almost 25,000 people in local communities.
The Discovery team plan, design, create and deliver key learning that supports digital capability and better connectivity, every day, for everyone. In order to best drive long-term skills take-up, the team deliver the sessions with a hands-off approach – encouraging attendees to take the practical steps needed while they are guided through it.
Bespoke leadership training has also been delivered to over 5000 people from particular groups in the local community, including scout leaders and teachers, to further enhance their digital skill set.
In December, the Discovery team also helped to launch Three UK’s Connected Communities campaign; a pilot initiative supported by Lenovo, to equip three youth clubs across Leeds and Birmingham with 5G broadband, Lenovo Smart Tab M8 tablets and learning sessions by Three Discovery to help tackle the digital divide.
Pandemic-induced hiatus
The Discovery team at Three continued to champion digital learning even in the height of the pandemic, supporting virtual sessions in light of the restrictions.
In-person workshops to children in education made their way back in September 2021. The Discovery team delivered over 8,000 hours of essential learning to schools, providing both resources and technology for students that could help to overcome the digital poverty gap.
Craig Miller, Head of Retail at Three, said: “Internet-connected tech is more important than ever, but the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis are exacerbating the digital divide. We are committed to building a network for all of the UK and that means ensuring customers and communities up and down the country can benefit from tech that makes life and work that little bit easier.
“Our instore Discovery sessions are designed to empower and educate people of all ages and abilities to develop the skills needed for a digital world. No question is too silly, and no solution too hard to find. The feedback from customers has always been incredibly positive, and it’s been heartening to hear these comments once more. We look forward to rolling this out further over the coming months.”
Further information on Three Discovery can be found here: Three.co.uk/Discovery
About Three
Three launched in 2003 as the UK’s first 3G only network, laying its foundations as the network that was born to be different. Today Three is a connectivity company that connects people to people, people to things and things to things and has 9.4 million customers.
Our network today covers 99% of the UK population and we carry 28% of the UK’s mobile data traffic.
Three launched 5G in August 2019, is the largest holder of spectrum in the UK and has been recognised by Ookla as having the UK’s fastest 5G network for Q3-Q4 2022.
It is the only operator able to meet the International Telecoms Union (ITU) 2020 standard of 100MHz of contiguous spectrum for full 5G services.
Three is the official partner and shirt sponsor of Chelsea FC men’s and women’s teams.
Three UK is a proud partner of Samaritans, where it will use the strength of its network and technology to connect 1 million people to emotional support.
Three was voted the Best Network for Data at the Mobile Choice Consumer Awards, as well as Best Network for Roaming by uSwitch, and the Best High Street Retailer at the Mobile Industry Awards.
Three UK is part of the CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd group of companies which has mobile operations in 11 countries. We employ more than 4,800 people across our offices in Reading and Glasgow and our 297 retail stores.
