Network Reviews

Plusnet

Plusnet are new players to the mobile phone market having started in November 2016. However they have not received a very warm welcome with only a 1 star review on Trustpilot.

One thing worth mentioning though is that they are very cheap, so if you’re looking for a cheap sim only contract and aren’t too worried about everything else then it might be worth a look into.

iD Mobile

Launched in May 2015, iD Mobile are the network provider branch of Carphone Warehouse. They use Three’s network to provide coverage and have a lot of fantastic offers. So if you get good signal on Three in your area then it’s probably worth checking out, although unfortunately once again the reviews are poor.

Tesco Mobile

Tesco mobile have been around a few years now and they unsurprisingly offer good value for money. They also seem to provide excellent customer service with almost 40% of their reviews being given 5 stars. They piggyback off O2’s mobile network so it’s definitely one to check out if you get good coverage with O2 in your area.

BT Mobile

The logical next step for the UK’s largest home broadband provider now that they are teamed up with EE. We certainly believe there is a lot more they will be able to bring to the communications market in the future, but at the present the costs are quite high unless you get a combined deal with your home broadband.

Vodafone

The UK’s first mobile network (with the first call being made back in 1985) and one of the largest networks in the world. They were also one of the earliest to launch 3G services to the market in 2004 and 4G in 2013. However this doesn’t mean they have the strongest network coverage in the UK. In addition to this, it has one of the lowest scores for a network in the UK on Trustpilot. Having said that, they do have some excellent features, including the travel packages they offer and the perks you can get such as Sky Sports and Spotify to name just a few.

Freedom Pop

Another fairly new network provider having started in 2015, they claim to offer a different way on how the mobile can be used. In their own words, “Simply slide in your FreedomPop SIM, download the FreedomPop messaging app, and start getting free service”. All sounds well and good right? Unfortunately from the Trustpilot reviews it appears not, with it seeming that the network is unable to compete with the service offered by the larger providers and the app also seems to cause customers more trouble than needed when trying to make phone calls.

Asda Mobile

Asda mobile offer a virtual network, using the EE network to supply its services. Disappointingly it seems that the network is stuck in 2012 as they are only offering 3G to their customers. They have announced this will be changing soon though, and that could mark them as a real competitor to the market as it really is “Asda price!”.

Virgin Mobile

Part of the Virgin Media group that also provides Broadband, Television and home phone services, meaning that if you are currently considering becoming a customer for one of those then their competitive bundle packages are definitely worth checking out. They use EE’s network so the coverage is very good. Unfortunately though the Trustpilot reviews overwhelmingly describe it as 1 star with one very disgruntled customer saying that it ‘Should be 0 stars!’.

O2

One of the ‘Big 4’ providers in the UK and therefore offers good signal in the majority of areas. Alongside this, they offer you the chance to upgrade your phone every 12 months instead of 24 which is quite enticing when considering how quickly the technology in phones is changes. However, you will be playing extra for this, and in my experience O2 generally seems higher priced than other providers across the board.

Everything Everywhere (Better known as EE)

The largest and strongest network in the UK with the largest coverage area formed in 2009 with the merging of Orange UK and T-Mobile UK. It was the first network to bring the 4G to the UK, and it is now offering superfast 4G in highly populated areas. This network is definitely holding its ground as the number one network in the UK after the recent merge with BT, despite not knocking Vodafone off its perch as the largest communications company in the UK. Despite this being a personal favourite, in the interest of impartiality I must give you the bad with the good and Trustpilot does offer very mixed reviews.

Three (Or as you may remember them "Hutchison")

Having recently undergone a facelift to the network, Three really are pulling out all the stops. From offering free international data in over 27 countries (Varying), to the great customer service that the majority of their customers seem to receive. Three are also currently one of the few networks offering all you can eat data which is becoming something which a lot of people are looking for these days as they use more and more data. As usual though, you can have perfection. Three has received several very poor reviews, and the signal quality varies widely in the UK so as always do your homework before tying yourself into a contract.

Talkmobile

This subsidiary of Vodafone offers some extremely good value for money. However there are some very mixed reviews with people seeming very happy with the customer service and sales team, but unhappy with the signal quality and the billing issues that many seemed to encounter. To reiterate though, the prices seem very reasonable and in some cases better than what Vodafone offer themselves. Worth a look.