Hi
I am in the process of choosing a mobile network for a new contract (iphone 4S) and I am wondering which is the best to go with. It is such a big commitment to sign up to a 24 month contract so I am trying to do a bit of research to find out which networks are the best, mainly in terms of coverage and signal etc. I think I have narrowed it down to between O2 and Three, but I am open to any suggestions and advice.
If anyone could offer their opinion I'd be very grateful
Thanks!

In terms of coverage, you can only ever tell whether a network is suitable for you by trying them.

You can get a free SIM from both O2 (http://freesim.o2.co.uk/) and Three (https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Free_SIM/Order) to help you see which network has the best coverage in the places you use your phone.

Go to your nearest Three store and ask them to use the system checker to check your postcode. If your town/area is covered in a mostly green/blue area then go for Three. They have more 3G coverage than o2 anyway.

If Three don't have good coverage in your area than check with o2. If they have good coverage in your area then go with then. In terms of price though, no one can beat three's one plan with the iPhone 4s.

I cannot agree more with this statement definitely do as Daveoc64 has stated and for the sake of a tenner or so top up's its a lot cheaper to lose that than be tied in for a potential 24 months with no signal.

I would also suggest travel to the places where you MUST get a signal and try o2 and 3 and see which one is the best and then and only then sign up for a new contract

You probably don't even need to top up. You can see the signal without topping up and there's stuff you can do without paying anything (like calling the top up line or visiting the network's home page).

Since you are getting an iPhone, its best to always have a 3G signal if you don't have wireless available. If you live in a city, it should be fine on both/all networks really(still check for yourself though).

However if you live in a more rural area, make sure you check O2 has 3G coverage, they have a reputation with their lack of 3G outside of urban areas... And an iPhone with only 2G when out and about aint that fun lol (I used to be on O2)

Never had any problems with Vodafone.

Better to have the 2G "fun" in rural areas than nothing at all which is what 3 have is some rural places now they no longer roam onto Orange..

Three still has 2G roaming on Orange in areas where there isn't a 3G signal.

Get the sims as suggest but DO topup and try using it. I find giffgaff (running on O2) to often have terrible data speeds even when I have full 3G or HSDPA signal. It's just network capacity or whatever, rarely do I get any decent speeds. Three on the other hand gave me good speeds outdoors but signal would collapse going into buildings etc.

24 months is a long time, make the investment in checking them out for sure.

Not in my experience, they let me leave leave my contract 18 months early for that reason. Not having 3g was a pain but not been able to even receive texts on 2g made it pointless as a mobile phone.

Check your signal in all places before you commit! Don't rely on the coverage checkers online - these maps generally quote 'outdoor' coverage. No point having a fantastic fast 3g network if you struggle for a signal inside

Rob

Ultimately the best network all depends on where you live and where you intend on using it the most so 'Do Your Homework' first.

I always find Its always best to negotiate a mobile phone and contract on the telephone, if you go into a high street shop you never seem to get that a good deal

I am with Three as they seem to offer the best value for money but there are times when I get "no service available". I would ask a few neighbours and work mates who live in your area to see what they have and how their signal is like.

I agree, but the system checker three use in their stores is so much more accurate than the one online. It allows you to see virtually everything about threes coverage in your area.

If it was me recommending I would go for T-Mobile as you get unlimited mins, texts and internet plus free voicemail, decent fast 3G coverage and they have a deal with that on for £41 per month 24 month contract all you need to do is pay £29 for the iPhone 4S or if you want it free it is £46 per month

Go to Three and look at the "Ultimate internet 500" you get All-you-can-eat data, 500 minutes, 5,000 texts on a 24 month contract @ £36.00 PM and £29.00 up front cost. If you not bothered about the 500 mins of anytime/network mins. Thats a saving of £5.00 PM or £120 total!

That is a good deal is that for the iPhone 4S 16GB?

It does not matter how good the deal is if it their is no signal. I have sims from all the networks. I would suggest doing this and seeing wht the signal is like at home/work etc.

Get yourself a shorter contract than 24 months as well. That is just to long.

Yep, Three do the following deal for the iPhone 4s as well.

2000 Minutes
5000 texts
5000 3-3 mins
All you Can Eat Data + Tethering (no fair use policy)
£36pm
£69 upfront

T-Mobile do an unlimited minutes deal (but there is a fair usage policy) with unlimited texts(fair use policy of 3000) & unlimited data for £46pm

o2, do Unlimited minutes(fair use), unlimited texts (fair use: 2990) and 1GB data for £67pm.

So overall three is the best for price, just make sure you have good signal with them. Best thing to do like i said is check on the system checker in store, its more accurate than any online checker.

Yep it sure is, only thing is im not sure if its an internet only price - but only one way to find out - follow the link below lol

http://store.three.co.uk/view/produc...catdevice/2326

Please avoid Three like the plague.
There has been a thread regarding them recently.

Read it and decide.

Price and coverage are NOT the be all and end all !

I totally disagree with avoiding or bashing Three. As I've said before, because of work I've used all the major networks over the last few years, and travel a fair bit. Three is the only network to give constant reliable service for calls and internet, and their customer service is no worse than any other.

As a business, it has made sense for us to switch to Three and have our work collegues more productive, more often. And just to note, a lot of our work takes place in very rural areas where thankfully Three seems to out perform other networks.

Go for Three if you get a signal, if not go for somthing else, but please don't listen to people who have probably never even used the network, or used it in its early days.

Mark

May I correct one or two things.

I do not involve myself in Three bashing. My comments are based on my experience of both an eighteen month contract and my wifes two years on Three pay and its successors.

We found the network to be poor in terms of signal dropping and all the things alluded to on other threads.

I am glad the previous forum member is happy with Three and to a degree its somewhat a personal choice.

But for ME,speaking ONLY from personal experience with no axe to grind except for the aformentioned,I would describe my eighteen months with them taking into account their abismal customer service as shite.

Any suggestion made by the previous member is incorrect and offensive.

I repeat with Three bring your own barge pole.

I had similar experiences as Paddy, terrible terrible customer service, calls and data connection dropping a lot and absolutely terrible signal!!

However that's just me, everyone is different. However Three does also have many positives like a huge 3G network, great value and awesome speeds. Just wasn't right for me personally so stuck with Orange