From the ancient times of landlines and dial-up Internet, phone networks have worked as beacons of connectivity and telecommunications. When we talk about technology and disruption, you would be hard pressed to find an industry that was turned upside down more than the telecommunications industry.
However, in spite of all these changes, the top players in the UK have remained stable and unchanged, just like in the rest of the world. This has to do with their innovativeness, quality of service and great operations.
Thanks to these values, we can expect to see these same phone networks present in 2080, only in some kind of a different form, thanks to their agility and adaptability. In essence, there are 4 major phone networks in the United Kingdom which are competing on the market. There are, however, many spin-offs and subsidiaries of these companies. What are the top phone networks in the UK? Which have the tendency to grow ever more and which are slowly losing their market share? Read our overview to find out.
EE
Founded in 2010 as part of the BT Group, EE uses the former infrastructure that had been previously used by T Mobile and Orange in the UK, so this means great coverage with a handful of blind spots.
The company won awards for Most popular mobile network and Fastest Mobile Network in 2019 by uSwitch. It’s currently the biggest phone network in the UK, owned by Deutsche Telekom and French Telecom.
EE operator also offers an option of “mobile casino pay with phone credit” on a wide range of gambling sites, free EU roaming, six months gratis of Amazon Prime video and cheap mobile data boosts. Their price plans are a bit pricey, though.
O2
O2 has been present on the UK market since 2002, and it was acquired by Telefonica three years later. Among the top 4 phone operators, it has the best coverage and a great pay-as-you-go system.
O2 is the second largest phone network in the United Kingdom with over 25 million subscribers.
O2 also has piggyback companies which include Tesco Mobile, Giffgaff and Sky Mobile.
Three
Three is perfect for users who use their phones for Internet mostly. It’s the only network that has an “all you can eat” data system where you pay a relatively small amount for unlimited, carefree data use.
Next to its Go Binge feature (unlimited data with Netflix, History and other partners), you can also take advantage of the Go Roam data and enjoy the most favorable conditions for browsing the web abroad.
Vodafone
Vodafone is really a household name when it comes to phone networks in the UK. It has excellent coverage and great prices, but it has also suffered quite a few PR blows in the last couple of years related to bad customer service.
The greatest perks of Vodafone as a phone provider in the UK is that you can use your data plan internationally in 152 destinations using your UK plans.