Broadband provider 3 UK has activated its 10,000th 3G site, at Shooters Hill in south-east London.

The firm is currently undertaking a major programme of work to improve and extend its network, which is already the most extensive in the UK.

Mobile broadband users in Shooters Hill are now benefiting from better 3G coverage and greater capacity, following the work completed last week.

Graham Baxter, Chief Technology Officer at 3 UK, said that over the past two years, the continued growth of internet communications, smartphone use and mobile broadband uptake has "brought the need for good 3G network coverage into sharp focus for millions of consumers".

"We're adding new coverage and capacity across the country to meet demand and bring the benefits of 3G to people who've never had access in their area before," he stated.

3 is aiming to bring its 3G network, which currently reaches around 92 per cent of the population, to a further 3,000 sites nationwide this year.