Friend of mine is due to travel all over the uk next month and wondered which network broadly speaking gives the best coverage.He is free to go on any net using 2g (may be 3g but only if coverage is good enough).... Monthly Contract

I told him Voda or 02 for best followed by Orange and T-Mobile,please post freely with your area/town otherwise
it is meaningless! thanks
Last edited by d-denny : 16-05-2008 at 21:26

But Virgin is T-Mobile, so why didn't you suggest that?

All networks have black spots. You didn't say whether he'll need 3G coverage. If so O2 is poorest of the lot.

I'm with Three and had very little problems across central Scotland on the network. Though I've just heard, for some reason their PAYG is not supported as much as their contracts and if he is on PAYG, his coverage could be affected.

I would add that if he is after 3g coverage then i would have a look at the different network's respective website to check their 3g coverage in your particular. For me only vodafone, orange and three offer 3g coverage in my local town, Lewes, whereas 02 and t-mobile only offer 2g coverage.

How does that work then? Surely if the phone/sim card pick up a network signal then its irrelevant if its on pay as you go or contract?

The phone picks up the signal, and you are correct, PAYG anc Contract phones pick up the same signal.

I'm on T-Mobile and been to Birmingham,Liverpool,Manchester and Cardiff with no problems...that's just main places I could think of that i've been off top of my head,not really answering your question but thought i'd reply anywya

I've heard T-Mobile don't have good coverage in Weymouth area so if your friends going to be there maybe t-mobile shold be avoided

AJxx

In the main city centres all networks, at least for 2G should be roughly equal and all five main networks should have 3G available in most cities and major towns as well although I have found that even here signals can drop quite rapidly at ground floor level in some buildings.

As someone who's been over to Britain only a handful of times my experience is mostly in coverage in N.Ireland so anything else I say is down to what I've heard/read.

Vodafone in terms of 2G have near-total coverage - there's very few places (outdoors at least) where Vodafone isn't available that another network is. For coverage they're hard to beat and will often be found where others won't.

O2's coverage for 2G is pretty good but can have notable black spots as they seem to spread their base stations out that little bit more than Vodafone do. Also rural coverage can be great in some places and patchy in others - locally some of the villages have great O2 reception whereas in others its difficult.

Orange for 2G reception pretty much makes up for its handicap of being an 1800 only network with the largest amount of base stations in the UK (over 10,000) meaning that where they do cover, its good but the "fade off" on the edge of the cells happens more quickly than the 900 networks of Vodafone and O2. Surprisingly good rural coverage - locally away from the urban areas they tend to site their base stations on or near the summit of hills and mountains.

T-Mobile - I'm assured that in towns and cities and along major roads they are fine, but in rural areas I'd say they can't be depended on. At my own house T-Mobile reception is impossible on the ground floor and only viable (1 to 2 bars out of 5) in a couple of rooms with windows facing north-east. For me this is down to the nearest base station being 9 miles away whereas Vodafone's and O2's are about 1 mile each and Orange 3 miles.

3 - In terms of 3G coverage they're hard to beat, they certainly have 3G & HSDPA coverage in places where the other networks haven't. If you fall outside their 3G coverage area you'll fall back on to Orange's 2G network.

So for me in terms of 2G ranking, Vodafone > O2 and Orange (tied) > T-Mobile.

Could it be when it falls back onto a 2g signal? I don't know but this is what Three told my rellie.

If it's 3G signal your after then go with 3! They have the best 3g signal coverage in the UK or you could go with T-mobile as both 3 and T-mobile now share masts!

As pointed out though if it's towns and cities that's being visited then any of the networks will really do.

I'm on the Isle of Wight and spend most of my time at Lake and Godshill (around 5 miles apart), and found the following:

Three - very good at both and the only one offering 3G coverage here(even the mobile broadband works well)
T-Mobile - very good at both for 2G
Orange - very good at Lake for 2G, non-existent at Godshill
O2 - Good at Lake for 2G, non-existent at Godshill
Vodaphone - total waste of time in both places

They are all good, the differences between them overall is small and in any place one entwork will be better than others and that will vary by place. Don't forget though - with Three when there is no coverage it tries to roam onto their partner network. (I think this is O2 at the moment).

Simple solution - take a couple of different payg sims to change to if there is no signal with which ever contract he takes out, Because it looks like non are 100% coverage.

O2 seems to have very poor EDGE availability in Brighton - and signal strengths are quite poor also.

I'd say take a Vodafone and o2 SIM.

In my opinion, Vodafone have the best overall coverage - they were the only network to work in parts of the lake district for me

many thanks everyone.

Not quite;

Three use their own 3g network wherever it's possible; the phones will try to use that. If it's unavailable, the phone will roam onto the Orange (no longer O2!) 2G network.

I'm not on Three so don't know how it copes with you being on the phone if you lose 3G signal in an area that has strong Orange 2G.

Either way, I would say Vodafone and an O2 sim as well; O2 especially if your friend would like to text a lot.


I guess if you remember, post back and let us know the outcome! Someone else might have similar plans for a UK-wide trip, and might like to see how your friend got on.

I travel extensively around the Scottish islands. I've got a Three contract phone. Big mistake. They're by far the cheapest network and have great reception and call quality in urban areas, but both Three and its 2G partner network (I've been told it's Orange) are poor once you get more than about ten miles from a town, and are nonexistent in much of the Hebrides. The best bet is Vodafone, which is pricey on the PAYG card I've bought, but seems to work far more reliably than any of the others in really remote areas. O2 comes a close second (if I can't get Vodafone, O2 is what tends to appear on a network search), but T-Mobile is far behind all except possibly Orange.

Not yet they don't, currenty 3 offers 99.5% population coverage of 2g or 3g (2g through Orange NOT O2 as it used to be)

Three's 3g coverage is higer than any other UK network approaching 90% and will be almost blanket coverage within the next 12 months, partly because of the link up with T-mobile for network transmission sharing.

To clarify, each broadcaster will still operate on their own frequencies and the networks will route calls seperately, but the cabling and infrastructure will be shared.

A little like 2 companies sharing a distibution centre, one side of the warehouse 3, the other T-mobile, and the lorries driving out with goods from both companies, although the products are still seperate and the data is kept apart.

.....

Three will be your best bet. They have the best 3G coverage and if you are out of range of thier network your phone will roam onto Orange, best of both worlds.

I am on 02 and currently and every weekend just north of Hull and also inland towards Skirlington reception is pants.

Three and VF seem to be the best around here whilst at home in West Yorkshire I have no problems with 02

So it is worth doing the homework as to how good the connection will be at secondary locations you may find yourself at regularly

Although I get a good deal from 02 with lots of inclusive minutes and texts and free 02 to 02 calls .

I will change when the contract ends on the 02 phone and the wife's also as a good phone connection is a must on weekends between us

I usually have to ring my sons phone ( on Three ) to get her at work on Sundays as he is working near her .

I addressed that just a few posts above; Three switching across to Orange isn't that hot, since Orange's rural reception is rubbish like Three's. I'd much prefer it if they used O2, or even better Vodafone, which would provide a reasonable service in isolated areas to complement Three's great urban service, but I guess that's business...

02 here in Dundee.

Shocking 3g signals.

Actually Oranges rural coverage is really good, remember it's the comapny that owns Three that installed and located most of those transmitters for Orange before France Telecom bought Orange from Hutchinson.

The switching is good if you've got a newer phone, some of the older phoes didn't switch so well. Also Three never used to switch well mid call a long time ago, but that has been long fixed and is very smooth now.

As the poster says above, best of both worlds coverage wise.