Posted 28 September 2023

Changing phone network

Hi Guys,

I planning to leave o2 when my contract is up in December due to a pants signal in my town, but I’d ideally like to try out 2 or 3 other networks at home/work etc for signal before committing to a new contract.

Any advice on the best way to do this?
Was thinking pay as you go sims but would these require a minimum top up of like £10? In which case it gets quite pricey.

Thanks
Community Updates
New Comment

7 Comments

sorted by
's avatar
  1. KodaBear's avatar
    You can try out EE Signal by getting a 1p Mobile SIM and their cheapest data bundle for £3 for 1GB Data, or £5 if you want to add minutes and texts. Alternatively you can try out a cut-back budget version of EE Signal with Lycamobile who have a MSE deal for 3GB Data, unlimited calls and texts for just 45p for the first month and you can cancel anytime.

    You can try Vodafone signal using Lebara mobile. 99p via MSE for a month with 3GB data, 300 minutes and unlimited tests.

    You can try Three's network by picking up a Smarty SIM. £6 will get you 5GB Data, unlimited minutes and texts.

    Alternatively you can look at independent testing for your local area. Search Google for "Rootmetrics Map" and you can look at towns and cities around the country and see the best and worst networks from a number of independent tests for different services offered. EE Usually always comes out on top across the country with o2 often the worst due to network congestion.

    As others have said, there is only EE, Vodafone, o2 and Three who own their own network infrastructure. Everyone else just piggybacks. So once you have decided who is best for signal you can then then compare all the piggybackers to see who comes out on top for other things like price and customer service to decide who you sign up with.
  2. Iain's avatar
    Think you've only really got Vodafone, Three and EE. All the rest run off one of those four networks (albeit with some varying features like 5G, WiFi calling and eSIM) - en.wikipedia.org/wik…ors (edited)
  3. Russ2626's avatar
    If you take out the contract over the phone or online, there is a 14 day cooling off period. You can cancel during this period if the signal is bad and you will only be charged for what you used.
    AndyRoyd's avatar
    Not best practice to potentially repeatedly take hits on credit file within short space of time.
  4. one_eight_seven's avatar
    It’s not pricey if you test drive one network for 30 days before switching to another network until you figure out which one worked best for you.

    It only gets pricey if you find one isn’t good enough a week or two into the 30 days and you have to go to the next network.
  5. preecey's avatar
    Also check out bidb.uk

    Coverage maps for all the networks on one handy website. Also provides availability for fixed line services.
  6. Denney_Masters's avatar
    Just do what I did get one sim and use it a month at time
's avatar