How To Find The Best Network For A Phone Contract In The UK

Getting a good phone contract is really important for a number of reasons. First of all, a good deal saves you money and leaves you cash to spare. Even if you’re broke or have a poor credit history, getting a decent phone contract means you don’t have to be out of touch with friends, family, and what’s happening in the world as there are bad credit score phones that lenders are willing to sell to you on contract.

Also, with a good contract, you can be sure about the quality of the product you’re getting and may even get a warranty to cover unexpected damage. However, an often-overlooked part of UK contract phone deals is choosing the best network for phone contracts. No matter how good the phone you get on contract, it may become a frustrating experience if your network isn’t matched to your needs. Keep in mind as well that once you make a choice, especially for borrowers who are not well qualified (or bad credit card holders), it may be difficult to cancel your contract and switch service providers, so you’re stuck. The points below will serve as a contract phone guide to shape your choice:

What are your needs? Some people prioritize talk time and SMS usage over internet speed while others are more concerned about how fast their apps and browsers can connect to the internet. The various network providers have different strengths and your choice should be shaped by which factor you prioritize.

Internet

If internet speed is the most important thing to you, then EE is definitely your network of choice. They’re up to date with the 5g network and their 4g and 4g+ networks are as fast as you can get anywhere depending on your subscription plan. O2 is also not a bad choice as far as the internet is concerned, Plusnet and Virgin mobile are virtual networks running on EE’s networks that deliver decent internet speeds.

Voice Calls

Conversely, if voice calls are what matter to you, Vodafone is the winner in this category with top-notch voice coverage in the major cities. Also, TalkMobile, like the name implies, gives you unlimited texts and calls on its SIM-only contracts.

Roaming

For international roaming services (attractive to frequent travelers), Three has the best international roaming plans at affordable rates, covering well over 80 countries.

Your phone brand: The kind of operating system on your phone is also a factor in some cases. Some network providers have special android or ios packages, and it’s important that you identify which works for you before deciding. Also, the network technology available depends on your phone brand. If you choose a network for 4g+ or 5g while your phone is only 4g enabled then you’re up for a disappointment, so be sure to double-check.

Parent provider:

Virtual networks provide services using the networks of the big providers which are O2, EE, Three, and Vodafone. All of the other networks piggyback off them. Examples are ASDA Mobile, Plusnet and Virgin Mobile (provider: EE), Id mobile and SMARTY (provider: Three), etc. Be sure to check out the parent provider when choosing a virtual network as the quality depends on the parent provider. 

Last But Not The Least - Phone & Network That support 5G

We’ve all heard of 5G, thanks to its widespread coverage across the media. While it’s obvious enough that 5G is a major upgrade to 4G, so many of us still have questions.

What is it? Why should you care? And what are the best phones available that are capable of supporting it?

The first 5G networks were activated in Britain more than one year ago, and the country’s top four networks (Vodafone, O2, Three, EE) already offer it. However, it’s not available everywhere in the UK — yet.

Any smartphones designed to connect to 5G will need an internal 5G modem, which is missing from most smartphones on the market as of July 2020.

However, some 5G smartphones have been announced for an upcoming release or are actually already available if you plan to check mobile deals online. The Samsung Galaxy S20 and S10 can connect to 5G, as can the Samsung Note10+. Samsung’s A90 and capable of connecting to 5G, as are its OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro.