VodafoneThree has upgraded 8,000 sites across the UK as part of the telco's post-merger commitment to invest heavily in its network.

The upgrades are part of the £11 billion ($14.37bn) investment program announced by VodafoneThree when the company completed its merger earlier this year.

VodafoneThree's latest network upgrades are pivotal to the operator making good on its target to reach 99 percent of the UK population with its 5G Standalone (5G SA) network by 2030, and 99.96 percent by 2034.

Since merging, the telco has also been pushing to enhance its network integration across the UK. This has seen Vodafone switch on its multi-operator core network (MOCN) technology at more than 600 sites in the UK, as of August.

“Today, more than 21 million customers in over 8,000 locations can connect to the best available coverage at no extra cost, with many now enjoying 4G and 5G where it wasn’t previously available, and faster speeds overall," said Andrea Dona, chief network officer, VodafoneThree.

"However, this is just the beginning, so I’m even more excited to see what we can deliver together over the coming years."

At the merger launch event in London in June, the telco outlined how the merger would impact the company's strategy and several brands.

The telco stated that it will continue to operate a multi-brand mobile strategy in consumer markets, with Vodafone, Three, and MVNOs Voxi, Smarty, and Talkmobile, all remaining.

As part of the merger, Vodafone owns 51 percent of the company, while Three owns the remaining 49 percent stake. After three years following completion and subject to certain conditions, Vodafone may acquire Hutchison's stake via a Put and Call option.