Guides

The best mobile network in the UK

logo Roams
Last update: February 17, 2022
Roams UK
Author: Roams UK
74 people have read this post in the last 12 months

The best mobile network in the United Kingdom has to be able to offer their customers quality WIFI signal and high percentage of coverage in the UK. People must understand that most of the carriers in the UK piggy back of four major network providers.

What are the best mobile network in the UK

When it comes to looking at the top network providers in the UK we have to talk about the big four EE, Three, O2 and Vodafone.

What makes these four mobile networks the best in the United Kingdom? One of the main reasons is the big four network providers carry a lot of the Mobile Virtual Network Operations (MVNO) which a big reason why they are the best mobile networks.

For example, EE carries, BT mobile, Plusnet and Virgin Mobile. Giffgaff and Sky Mobile piggy backs off O2´s network. Vodafone provides mobile network for Voxi and Three carries ID Mobile.

Although this is not all the carriers that the big four carry but it is just an idea of what these four network providers offer in the UK.

EE is such a massive mobile network provider in the UK and it has been for a while now and all the MVNO's that are under it will have great network service.

O2's is on of eth oldest mobile network providers in the United Kingdom and it still exists today meaning that it is still relevant in todays society.

Three is a relatively new compared to the big four but it has risen to be one of the major four because of its great services in SIM only deals.

Vodafone is not only one of the popular mobile networks in the UK but in whole of Europe. Vodafone's reputation is massive and which is why it is in the top four best mobile networks in the United Kingdom.

There are other mobile networks in the United Kingdom but these four really stand out purely because of how big they are.

However, other mobile network such as Virgin Media, Sky Mobile and Plusnet still play a major part in delivering great mobile services in the United Kingdom but still must rely on bigger network providers.


What is the best mobile network coverage

We must look at mobile network providers has the most coverage in the UK and also what type of quality it has.

It is not a surprise that at least one of the major four mobile networks would win the award for the best network coverage in the UK. O2 was given the award for the best network coverage and EE won as the best mobile coverage in the UK.

This means that BT mobile and Plusnet customers would have received the same mobile coverage as EE because they piggy back off EE's network. Giffgaff and SKY mobile customers will have the best network coverage in the United Kingdom because they are under O2's network.

However, just because you O2 and EE won awards for having the best network coverage and best mobile coverage it is still important to check your coverage map. Some carriers can work better in your area than O2 and EE can for your area so be sure to check your coverage checker map.


The best MVNO in the UK

When we are looking at the best MVNO in the UK we must look at what network they piggy back off and their coverage.

For example, BT who piggy back off EE's award winning best mobile coverage in the UK and SKY mobile who piggy backs off O2's network the who offer the best network coverage in the UK.

Obviously this would make these MVNO's some of the best in the UK because as a consumer you know you will get quality networks.

However, you have other MVNO's such as Giffgaff who won network of the year and SKY Mobile who won a total of three awards and one of them being customer service.

Giffgaff piggy backs of O2's network so there's a good reason why they won network of the year but SKY mobile standing out by focussing on keeping a high standard when it comes to customer service gives potential customers a good feeling about SKY Mobile.


5G network

2020 is a big year for the United Kingdom as more and more carriers will be able to offer their customers 5G services. 5G is the future and is what everyone in the United Kingdom should be using by the end of 2020.

Vodafone and EE have already offered their customers 5G services which shows that they are already thinking ahead towards the future. 5G technology is what you need the benefits is unreal, superfast speed, no buffering and just a step ahead of 4G.

Other providers have already assembled plans to introduce 5G in 2020, for example, Tesco Mobile has promised to bring Tesco Mobile 5G to life in 2020. This is a good sign because it means even MVNO's will have 5G technology in 2020.

By the end of the year I hope majority of all the carriers the big four and all the MNVO's that piggy back of them will be able to offer their customers 5G services.


Cheapest mobile network UK

Finding the cheapest mobile network with great SIM only deals depends on what you want. As a consumer you must look at what mobile networks offer in regards to data, minutes and texts.

There are a lot of cheap mobile networks in the UK but one that stands out the most is GiffGaff. GiffGaff provides their customers with strong and fast signals and the best part is that it is cheap.

Tesco is another mobile network that offers cheap prices for their SIM only deals and customers can get great value from these cheap SIM only deals.

Both GiffGaff and Tesco have great networks as they are connected to the big four so not only won't you get cheap deals but amazing networks.


Problems with mobile networks

Mobile Networks all have similar problems in regards to having weak connections in the UK and most of these problems are not because of the network but other factors that cant be controlled.

For example, for mobile networks that have 4G technology the signal can be weak if you are in a crowded place, bad weather or trees covered areas. This is an environmental problem and mobile networks struggle with these problems. This is a problem for pretty much all the mobile networks in the United Kingdom.

Our methodology
Roams offers a free information and comparison service, which tries to help anyone find the product that best suits their needs. To ensure that the data presented is correct, extensive market research and product analysis is carried out. Our database of mobile phone and internet rates is updated every day. The content is frequently reviewed by a team of writers with previous experience and/or specific training in telephony.

Personas que han participado en este post:

Roams UKRoams
Actualizado por Roams UK

Roams offers its advice on recurring-use services to enhance consumer savings. Its expertise is already valued by thousands of users, who trust Roams comparisons in different sectors to hire the best option.

Laura Burón
Edited and revised por Laura Burón