UK Networks!

Deleted User · Sep 19, 2011

Hi Guys!

Just out of interest... What do you all think is the best UK mobile network? Not for prices or deals but for the following... reliability, overall coverage, 3G coverage and 3G speed? And also any other reasons why you think its best!

Also what network are you all on & do you have a SIM only in your phone or do you have a normal 24month contract?

Thanks in advance

Hawker · Sep 19, 2011

I'm on a 24 month Orange contract.
I find internet access quite variable between areas I travel, but its not often I find I'm unable to connect.

However, most of my use is at home on wifi, so I'm not too bothered anyway, and hopefully it can only get better.

You may be interested in this BBC Survey interesting.
3G Reception By Postcode

Deleted User · Sep 19, 2011

I'm on orange and the speeds are awful for me, i only have 3 months left of my 24 month contract though, Used my SIM from my previous phone in my new one

matttye · Sep 19, 2011

Reliability - O2
Overall coverage - Orange/T-mobile
3G coverage - Orange (or Three? Not used Three for many years, but I hear good things about them)
3G speed - Three are currently rolling a HSPA+ network so they win, as HSPA+ is capable of three times the speed of HSPA.

Deleted User · Sep 19, 2011

@matttye true, although in my tests i have found O2 to be the fastest (around here anyway)

matttye · Sep 19, 2011

ajh94 said:
@matttye true, although in my tests i have found O2 to be the fastest (around here anyway)

There are several places around here where O2 is faster, but Orange seems to be faster in most places. Also, I find that I get a full HSDPA signal on Orange whereas I'm on GPRS or EDGE on O2.

O2 is the most reliable network from experience though, as my texts are usually always sent and received just fine and dropped calls just do not happen.

Sometimes on Orange my texts aren't delivered/received for like 3 hours.

Deleted User · Sep 19, 2011

Yeah I know what U mean, O2 are very good and so are the MVNOs that run off it like Tesco Mobile, gif***ff etc...

matttye · Sep 19, 2011

ajh94 said:
Yeah I know what U mean, O2 are very good and so are the MVNOs that run off it like Tesco Mobile, gif***ff etc...

Giffgaff is my favourite company

I don't know any other company in the world that pays forum geeks like us just for helping out! I got

steslatt · Sep 20, 2011

I was on o2 but I found a lot of the time I was getting GPRS which is really not good for a smartphone.
I moved onto 3 because they only support 3G, H or H+ that way I always have a fast connection. Where I work in Manchester I used to get GPRS on o2, on 3 I get H+ full reception with speed test of 10mbps.

ironass · Sep 20, 2011

I must say that for my area and those that I travel in, Vodafone has always been very good for me... possibly helped by having a repeater mast at home, in the field, about 500m away.

kebark · Sep 20, 2011

Vodafone are better than O2 and Orange here going on the experience of my family...but even then it's not particularly good around here =/

geoffibs · Sep 20, 2011

Orange in my area has gone rubbish lately. Ok around the country though but I'm not amazed by it.

I tried Three but they were also very bad in my area. They happen to have had transmitter problems both times I tried it (for longer than a week) but lost faith in them and customer support. Weren't too bad around the country.

Can't comment on the others, they are just my findings.

Slug · Sep 20, 2011

All this shows is that there's no such thing as "the best UK network"; opinions vary depending on where respondents are located.

Here Orange is good-to-fair everywhere I need coverage (except in the mountains, where only sat phones are reliable). 3UK is good in most of the city but coverage varies dramatically away from it. A few more Mbps at home, where I have 16Mbps broadband anyway, isn't worth as much to me as staying in contact when I'm not.

Riche101 · Sep 20, 2011

I'm with T-Mobile and have been for the 8 years very happy with quality of service and some of the customer reps are really nice and helpful

adamantell · Sep 20, 2011

I used O2 for years its brilliant, swapped Three and its even better

Orange is overrated imo

Speed, best is Three really quick and network coverage is best in UK

Deleted User · Sep 20, 2011

matttye said:
Giffgaff is my favourite company

I don't know any other company in the world that pays forum geeks like us just for helping out! I got

Deleted User · Sep 20, 2011

I love three but as im in a rural area i dont get signal

- Also for HSPA+ u need a HSPA+ phone dont u? does the SGSII really have HSPA+?

matttye · Sep 20, 2011

ajh94 said:
I love three but as im in a rural area i dont get signal - Also for HSPA+ u need a HSPA+ phone dont u? does the SGSII really have HSPA+?

Yeah..

Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II - Full phone specifications

3G HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps

HSPA = maximum 7 Mbps downstream, HSPA+ = maximum 21 Mbps downstream.

Even if not many UK networks support it yet, at least it's somewhat future proofed

lotus49 · Sep 20, 2011

+1 for 3 (does that make 4).

My phone is on O2 and the coverage is fairly good but I also have a 3G wireless modem on 3 and the speeds are generally much higher and the coverage seems every bit as good as O2. I travel a fair bit and it's only really in fairly isolated places these days that I don't get at least a reasonable signal with both networks but 3 is almost always faster.

I have just upgraded my modem to the Huawei E586 (for the net cost of

Antakar · Sep 21, 2011

Im on contract with tmobile. Data varry from place to place. Its not great but not bad either.

Here is something interesting for orange,, 3 and tmobile users:
Faster mobile internet on the way – Android UK News etc

Jigsy · Sep 21, 2011

Before switching to 3 I was on Orange for 2.5 years with a HTC Hero and the internet was terrible. It might have been the phone and not Orange but reception for me where I work was terrible and constantly dropping. I got a new contract on 3 and the difference is unbelieveable. I get full H and H+ all the time now even at home some 22 miles away out in the sticks I get good signal.

VulturePenguin · Sep 21, 2011

I've got my S2 on three and so far they've been brilliant.

Remeniz · Sep 21, 2011

I'm in O2 here and generally they've been really good.

Just their 3G is hit and miss....

H is good but I've never seen H+ here in Cambridgeshire.

PaulParanoia · Sep 21, 2011

T-Mobile and Orange share a network called Everything Everywhere in which they share masts but not back-end data haulage.

Vodafone and T-Mobile also share some network equipment but not masts or back-end data haulage.

The above means that there are just 3 networks of masts to choose from in the UK. All other providers have access to one of these 3 cell networks.

Round my way (Essex and London) I've found Everything Everywhere to have much better 3G coverage than O2 or Vodafone. However, Orange seems to have pretty limited back-end data haulage capabilities, making Orange data connections slow at peak times.

That makes T-Mobile my network of choice.

Everything Everywhere is currently rolling out H+ round where I live.

slugger09 · Sep 21, 2011

O2 & Vodafone have best 2G coverage, Orange/t-mo 3G

UK Networks!

Deleted User

Guest

Android Expert

Deleted User

Guest

Android Expert

Deleted User

Guest

Android Expert

Deleted User

Guest

Android Expert

Android Expert

Extreme Android User

Well-Known Member

Member

Check six!

Android Enthusiast

Well-Known Member

Deleted User

Guest

Deleted User

Guest

Android Expert

Android Expert

Member

Newbie

Newbie

Android Enthusiast

Newbie

Well-Known Member

BEST TECH IN 2023

Smartphones

Best Android Phones

Upcoming

Best iPhones

Upcoming

Tablets

Best Tablets

Upcoming

Laptops

Best Laptops

Upcoming

Televisions

Best TVs

Upcoming

Game Consoles

Best Game Consoles

Upcoming

Wearables

Best Wearables

Upcoming

Smart Home

Smart Home Tech

Upcoming

Similar threads