Third-generation mobile operator 3 has claimed growing popularity for its service, after adding 151,000 subscribers in the last three months.

But since its launch in March 2003, the operator has achieved a total customer base of only 361,000, compared to the one million subscribers that its parent company Hutchison hoped would have signed up by the end of 2003.

The 3G operator yesterday announced that, globally, it has just topped the one million subscriber mark.

The company said it is maintaining an average revenue per user of £45 a month, while its prepay offering, ThreePay, has been well received by retailers and consumers since its recent launch.

A focus on customer service and network optimisation has brought "significant improvements" to customer care and network reliability, 3 added.

3 UK has over 75 per cent of UK population coverage for video mobile services and 99 per cent for voice and text.