MSE Poll: How do you rate your mobile network's service and coverage?

MSE_Ruby

Poll started 7 January 2025

We want to find out how each provider rates for service (how it treats you) and coverage (how strong the signal is when you need it). In truth, there are only four main networks providing signals – the rest use these, but under their own brands (see our mobile networks guide for who piggybacks on who). Please rate the firm that provides your mobile phone bill (if you've switched networks recently, please rate the provider you were with the longest over the last year).

Click here to vote in the poll. 

Did you vote? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below.
If you haven't already, join the forum to reply.

Thanks!

AlexCFC

For anyone using this to get an idea of who to switch to, I cannot overstate how important regional differences are (and I mean this on a very small scale, not counties or even on a town level).

The UK has notoriously bad coverage and cell maintenance, and exorbitant fees for middling services. My area supposedly has good O2 coverage, and they are correct that I do get a little 4G symbol and several bars of service capable of making phone calls - however the reality is I rarely get enough data to load Google, let alone anything important. 

My solution to this was to buy the absolute cheapest SIM I could to test in the local area with an old phone (you can also use dual SIM or eSIMs if your phone allows), and use this to gauge the service. As shown in the poll, there are many companies now offering much more realistic prices, and who piggyback off the big names networks. I knew giffgaff was off the cards for example, as that uses the O2 network. So I tried 1p mobile as that uses the very strong EE network. I got a 2GB plan for 1 month without any contract renewal, gave it a test, and it was absolutely perfect. I now get upwards of 500mb/s in rural areas that I used to get absolutely 0mb/s in. I have had no outages, which was common with O2, and I couldn't be happier with the coverage.

Note, this is NOT an endorsement of 1p/EE, nor should anyone write off O2/giffgaff. The important thing here is that it really does vary based on where you live, and you may find the opposite of my experience. But I cannot emphasise the importance and utility of using these extremely cheap providers to test signals for 1 month (or PAYG). You can google MVNOs/mobile piggyback networks for more details. MSE also has info on this elsewhere

Bobbie320

Why does everyone (banks and building societies and credit cards) assume that we have access to a mobile phone signal? We don't! and we are only 10 miles from Cambridge city. It means that we are unable to access the highest paying savings accounts (either because they are app-based or at least require a mobile phone to set up). Even the BT engineers have to move away to make their calls about the landline/broadband but nothing improves. We have friends from Australia who visit us and declare that they have never had a problem with their mobile signal anywhere in the world until, that is, they visit us and have to use our landline to make their calls! When I looked into buying a booster, I am informed that they are mostly illegal, only the very expensive ones are legal and I'm talking in thousands of pounds!