Three’s UK customers can now roam in the US for free

UK mobile operator Three is extending its free roaming destinations today. After initially rolling out free roaming to some European markets, Three now supports the US, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Macau. Three customers will be able to use their UK data, text, and calling allowance while in the US and 10 other countries for no additional cost. While a number of UK carriers offer roaming services across Europe, Three is the first to provide free data, calls, and text roaming to the US.

Three’s changes mirror a similar move by T-Mobile in the US to allow its customers to roam freely at no extra charge in over 100 countries around the world at 2G speeds. Traditionally, UK carriers force customers to purchase expensive data add-ons or pay per MB of data, which can result in charges of $10 per MB when roaming in the US. Alongside Three’s roaming changes, the carrier also confirmed it has started rolling out 4G services to some customers this week. “This rollout will accelerate in January,” says Three, with all customers expected to gain 4G speeds (with a compatible handset) by the end of Q1 2014.