Best mobile network 2023: The UK’s top providers for 4G and 5G speeds, big data deals and customer service

Choosing between the UK’s best mobile networks never gets easier. The four major UK networks – EE, Three, Vodafone and O2 – have been joined by over 20 virtual mobile networks, some selling smartphones and SIM-only contracts, and some specialising in flexible, no-frills deals. This means there are dozens of operators, plans and bundles to pick from, and it’s easy to sign up for what looks like a great deal, only to find you could have saved some money or had faster speeds elsewhere. Coverage, reliability and customer service also count, and each can vary massively from network to network.

Luckily, we’re here to point you in the direction of the UK’s best mobile networks. We’ve compared prices, plans and features across all the big names, and factored in the latest performance figures from RootMetrics, whose researchers roam the length and breadth of the UK, testing signal strength, connection speeds, reliability and more.

We also conduct our own research as part of our annual reader survey, in order to gather your opinions on the customer support, value for money and reliability of the networks you use, along with your experiences of 5G. We used last year’s figures as the basis of our Mobile Network Awards 2022 and we’ll be carrying out further research later on this year.

Finally, we looked at the latest customer service report from Ofcom, to see how the UK regulator rates the major networks for customer service and satisfaction. Ofcom’s research doesn’t cover every network, but where it does, you’ll find this information summarised in the tables below the review.

How to choose the best mobile network for you

Mobile phone running costs span a very broad range, from £5 per month for a basic SIM-only contract up to £40 a month or more – so it’s best to start by working out a budget before you think about your wish list.

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How much data do I need?

Now that nearly all contracts include unlimited minutes and unlimited texts, your big concern is probably data. While you can still find plans with 500MB or 1GB allowances, there’s no real reason to stick with such a limited package these days. You can easily find 2GB to 4GB packages for £5 to £6 a month, with 10GB deals for not a whole lot more.

Unless you’re a really light user we’d suggest looking at 10GB to 20GB contracts as the minimum, while some of the best value packages now come with 30GB, 100GB or more. That gives you the freedom to stream music and video or play online games, and if you plan to use your mobile as a Wi-Fi hotspot or use game streaming services, you might want to go even further. After all, Unlimited data deals are no longer the expensive luxury they once were.

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How long should you tie yourself in for?

Most SIM-only contracts generally last a year, but some networks are now offering some compelling deals that sign you up for 18 months or two years. If you’re happy to make that commitment, you can save a few pounds per month or bag some extra data. Pay monthly phone contracts tend to last two years, and sometimes three. Make sure you can afford the monthly payments as, once you sign up, you’re locked in until your contract comes to an end.

When it does, review your options. If you’ve fully paid off the cost of your phone, you can now either save money by switching to a SIM-only contract or take advantage of an upgrade. Some networks offer split contracts, where you pay one monthly payment for your plan and another for the phone. In that case, you can save money by letting the latter expire then moving to a lower-cost SIM-only plan.

You’ll also see SIM-only deals that work on a rolling monthly basis, which gives you the flexibility to buy lots of data when you need it, then switch down to a cheaper plan when you don’t. Smarty, Giffgaff, Voxi, Lebara and iD Mobile all offer great value options here, but on other networks you may want to check that a monthly contract isn’t costing you a lot more per year than the standard 12-month option.

Family plans and spending caps

A few virtual networks, such as BT Mobile, Tesco Mobile and Sky Mobile, allow you to take multiple SIMs on a single contract, and even share data between them. This may work out cheaper than taking out separate contracts, or see you getting useful perks or bonus data as a reward. What’s more, it gives you more control over spending, as you can decide which plan different family members need. Some plans even allow you to share unused allowances or a rollover pot, meaning that, say, dad’s unused minutes can be swept through to data-greedy sons and daughters.

Another way to keep costs under control is by setting spending caps. Most providers now support these, and they help ensure that, should you (or your offspring) burn through the allowance, you won’t get a horrific shock when you open the next bill.

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Roaming and rollover features

Until recently, all UK networks allowed you to use your call, text and data allowances while travelling within the EU, while a few allowed you to use them in other popular destinations, such as the US and Australia.

Sadly, post-Brexit, this is no longer the case. Vodafone, EE, Three and O2 now charge customers £2 per day for inclusive EU roaming, and while most of the virtual network operators have yet to follow, you’ll still find a data cap, typically 25GB per month, in place for while you’re travelling abroad.

If you frequently travel to one country outside the EU, it’s also worth looking to see how different networks charge for roaming in that country. If it isn’t included in the standard tariff, you may be able to buy an international roaming add-on that slashes the price, even if this means paying daily while you’re away.

Finally, look out for rollover features, where unused minutes or megabytes can be rolled over to the next month, or streaming features that allow you to use specific music or video streaming services without cutting into your data allowance. Some networks also offer additional extras, like a free Amazon Prime, BT Sports, Netflix, Spotify or Disney Plus subscription or early access to tickets for live events.

What else should you consider?

There’s one other crucial thing you should check before you sign up: coverage. If your network is weak in your area, it won’t matter how fast or how good it is elsewhere. All mobile networks offer an online coverage checker, so you can enter your postcode and find out what services are available where you are. Ofcom also has its own coverage checker that can tell you which of the four networks will give you data and enhanced data services.

If anything, it’s getting even more important to check what data speeds and services are available in your area. The big networks are all now rolling out 5G services, with most of the virtual operators piggybacking on their efforts to offer 5G too. 5G is great if you can get it and you have a 5G phone, and usually there’s no extra cost. However, that’s no use if you can’t get a 5G signal and 5G is unlikely to be deployed near you anytime soon. After all, there’s no point in paying for the UK’s fastest connection if you only get to enjoy it on the odd trip here and there.

How we test mobile networks

We base our mobile network reviews on research conducted specifically for our annual Mobile Network Awards, and on published customer service, coverage and performance research from Ofcom and RootMetrics.

Our Mobile Networks Awards survey asks nearly 4,400 UK readers about their satisfaction levels with their current provider, and how well their connection holds up while watching video, browsing the internet or streaming podcasts and music. We also ask for more detail on any 5G services being used, to find out the benefits and problems readers may be experiencing with 5G connectivity on the major UK networks. Meanwhile, Ofcom’s Comparing Customer Service: Mobile, Landline and Home Broadband report provides detailed indication of customer satisfaction with service, value and support for each UK network, including data on how many complaints are made and how they’re handled.

Finally, RootMetrics runs in-depth performance tests across the length and breadth of the UK to capture figures for 4G performance and coverage – and also runs more specific 4G and 5G performance tests in 16 of the UK’s largest towns and cities. The results are updated twice a year.

We take all these results into account while picking out the best deals based on price, features, any hidden charges, plus any useful perks or extras.

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The best mobile networks in 2023

1. Smarty: Best all-round mobile network

Price when reviewed: From £8/mth to £20/mth (SIM-only)Smarty scored outstanding results in our 2022 Mobile Network Awards, receiving Highly Commended awards for reliability and value, then winning the Overall award. It’s a virtual network owned and operated by the same firm behind Three. Unlike Three, it doesn’t offer monthly phone contracts, but its SIM-only deals are fantastic, providing more data than the competition, often at incredibly low prices. Only one other network (iD Mobile) will give you 100GB for just £12, while the Unlimited deal is cheap at the normal £20, and an absolute bargain when it goes on sale for only £18. The cheapest plan has gone from £6 to £8, but it comes with a whopping 12GB of data, plus unlimited calls and texts. Smarty also includes free EU roaming, subject to a 12GB fair use data cap.

In our survey, over 92% of users told us that they would recommend Smarty to a friend, while over 81% of users said they were satisfied with the network’s customer service. Smarty also had some of the best scores for reliability, while benefitting from further upgrades to its host network, Three. The latest RootMetrics survey data puts Three as the UK’s second-fastest network behind EE, and is the only network beyond EE to deliver 5G median download speeds of over 100Mbits/sec in all 16 cities where RootMetrics runs its 5G tests.

Better still, it’s the only network to deliver 5G median download speeds of over 200Mbits/sec – and in over half of those 16 cities. We don’t have Ofcom results to work with due to low sample sizes, but Smarty is doing a great job of establishing itself as the no-frills network to beat.

Read our full Smarty review

Key specs – Network type: Virtual network operator (Three); Minimum plan: £8/mth, 12GB, unlimited minutes and texts; Maximum plan: £20/mth, unlimited data, minutes and texts; Discount options: 10% off group plan; Data rollover: No; Additional features: Inclusive EU roaming

View deals at Smarty

2. EE: The best mobile network for performance

Price when reviewed: From £14/mth to £43/mth (SIM only)Three beats EE on 5G speeds in some locations, but EE remains the fastest mobile network overall. RootMetrics’ latest round of testing gives it a UK-wide median download speed of 58.5Mbits/sec, well ahead of Three at 28Mbits/sec and Vodafone with 23.7Mbits/sec. It’s the only provider to deliver median download speeds of over 50Mbits/sec in all 16 cities where RootMetrics runs its metropolitan performance tests, with speeds of 70Mbits/sec in 13 of those places. And while EE can’t match Three’s 5G median download speed of 202.8Mbits/sec, 141.6Mbits/sec isn’t to be sniffed at, and speeds can go as high as 380Mbits/sec. With superb 4G coverage and 5G services reaching over 60% of the UK population, EE is a great choice if you’re looking for consistently good performance, everywhere you go.

EE also did well in our Mobile Network Awards survey. With more satisfied 5G customers than any other network, it was a shoo-in for our inaugural Best 5G award; but it also achieved high scores for customer service, mirroring strong results in Ofcom’s latest report. EE is undeniably expensive, which explains some of the less impressive scores for value and overall customer satisfaction. However, you do get the option of some worthwhile extras, including cut-price streaming subscriptions. EE doesn’t do quite as well in Ofcom’s latest customer service research, where it falls behind Tesco Mobile, Giffgaff and Sky, but its scores for satisfaction and complaints put it ahead of Three, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone here as well.

Read our full EE review

Key specs – Network type: Primary network operator; Minimum plan: £18/mth, 25GB, unlimited minutes and texts; Maximum plan: £43/mth, unlimited data, minutes and texts plus 3 Smart Benefits; Discount options: No; Data rollover: No; Additional features: Free 6 months of Apple Music and BritBox, family data gifting, spending cap

View deals at EE

3. Lebara: Best mobile network for customer satisfaction

Price when reviewed: From £4/mth to £22/mth (SIM only)This low-cost, no-frills network won big in our 2022 Mobile Network Awards, scooping the award for value and reporting no dissatisfied users whatsoever. An amazing 95% said they would recommend it to a friend. A lot of this comes down to cost, with 12-month SIM-only plans starting at just £4/mth with 3GB of data, and staying low all the way up to the £22 Unlimited package. You’ll pay more on a 30-day, no-contract package, but you’re still looking at £4 to £22. What’s more, Lebara bundles in 100 international minutes to 42 countries, making it an even stronger option for those with friends or family abroad.

Lebara could do better for customer service, though; 70% of users described themselves as satisfied with it, but that’s still one of the lowest scores in our survey. The network isn’t currently covered by Ofcom’s customer service report. However, as a virtual network based on Vodafone, it’s reasonably speedy, and Lebara’s scores for reliability were up there with the best. Lebara also scores brownie points for free EU roaming. Struggling to keep your costs down? Give Lebara a try.

Read our full Lebara review

Key specs – Network type: Virtual network operator (Vodafone); Minimum plan: £4/mth, 3GB, unlimited minutes and texts; Maximum plan: £22/mth, unlimited data, minutes and texts; Discount options: None; Data rollover: No; Additional features: 100 minutes international calling

View deals at Lebara

4. Voxi: Best budget network for social media and streaming

Price when reviewed: From £10/mth to £35/mth (SIM only)Backed by Vodafone, Voxi is a budget, no-frills network with some interesting ideas. The biggest is its Unlimited Social Media and Streaming perks, which offer unlimited data to use on the biggest social media services, along with TikTok, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix – provided you pay more than £15/mth for your deal. That makes the £15/30GB plan fantastic value, and there’s still no contract, so you’re free to cancel at any time. No wonder that an impressive 98% of Voxi users told our Mobile Network Awards survey they were satisfied with the network’s value for money, while nearly 90% said they would recommend it to a friend.

Ofcom hasn’t yet published any customer service scores for Voxi, but the users we surveyed were mostly happy, with 46% very satisfied and 30% fairly satisfied. And while Vodafone is now third place in terms of performance, having ceded second place to Three, its UK-wide median download speed (23.7Mbits/sec) and 5G median download speed (107.4Mbits/sec) are far from poor. Most importantly, Voxi scored highly for reliability. Other networks can handle web browsing and audio streaming most of the time, but 21% of Voxi users told us that the network was always fast enough for streaming video, while 55% told us it was fast enough most of the time. This was enough to win Voxi this year’s Reliability award.

Read our full Voxi review

Key specs – Network type: Virtual network operator (Vodafone); Minimum plan: £10/mth, 15GB, unlimited minutes and texts; Maximum plan: £35/mth, unlimited data, minutes and texts; Discount options: None; Data rollover: Yes; Additional features: Unlimited streaming and social media, 4G calling, visual voicemail

View deals at Voxi

5. Sky Mobile: A good all-rounder with exceptional service

Price when reviewed: From £7/mth to £30/mth (SIM only)Last year’s Mobile Network Awards placed Sky as the top network for customer service, with 45% of users describing themselves as very satisfied with Sky’s support, and a further 43% stating they were fairly satisfied. That result beat all the other networks, while Ofcom’s latest report has Sky with the joint fewest number of complaints per 100,000 customers (just five) and the third highest score for customer satisfaction, overall.

Sky also scored well for reliability in our survey, while taking home a Highly Commended for its 5G services. Its performance is limited by its reliance on Virgin Media O2’s core network; the slowest of the big four, according to RootMetrics’ latest tests. However, speeds are steadily improving, as is 5G coverage, so choosing Sky shouldn’t hold you back.

Another factor in Sky’s favour is a strong set of extra features, including free streaming without draining your allowance while you’re using Sky’s own streaming apps, and a clever Piggyback data rollover that means you can hold on to your unused allowance for up to three years. Sky isn’t the best option available if you want the fastest speeds or lowest costs, and there’s a sense that it needs to offer cheaper big data packages if it wants to keep up with the likes of Tesco Mobile, Smarty or Three. However, if you want great customer service, it’s definitely worth consideration.

Read our full Sky Mobile review

Key specs – Network type: Virtual network operator (Virgin Media O2); Minimum plan: £7/mth, 3GB, unlimited minutes and texts; Maximum plan: £30/mth, 70GB data, unlimited minutes and texts; Discount options: None; Data rollover: Yes; Additional features: Spending cap, unlimited streaming of Sky apps

View deals at Sky Mobile

6. Tesco Mobile: Best network for family-friendly perks and customer support

Price when reviewed: From £7/mth to £30/mth (SIM only)You don’t go to Tesco Mobile expecting cutting-edge performance or basement deals, but when it comes to keeping customers happy, the supermarket network is doing something right. In our 2022 Mobile Network Awards it won its second Highly Commended in a row for customer service, while nearly 85% of customers said they were fairly or very satisfied. Nearly 80% of users would recommend it to a friend.
Ofcom’s latest report is just as complementary, with Tesco sharing the joint highest score for overall satisfaction with Giffgaff and the lowest number of complaints per 100,000 subscribers with Sky. It also has the top results for satisfaction with reception or signal strength and value for money.

Tesco Mobile is a partnership between Tesco and O2, with Virgin Media O2 providing the underlying network. This means you might not get the best speeds in every area, while 5G coverage is more limited than with EE or Three. Still, that doesn’t seem to have affected its reliability, and some of its SIM-only deals are very competitive, particularly if you can take advantage of its Tesco Clubcard discounts and family perks. Clubcard price deals now have a price freeze for the whole contract, and some deals even come with Clubcard points bundled in.

Key specs – Network type: Virtual network operator (Virgin Media O2); Minimum plan: £7/mth, 2GB, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts; Maximum plan: £30/mth, unlimited data, minutes and texts; Discount options: Clubcard discounts, family perks; Data rollover: No; Additional features: Spending cap

Read our full Tesco Mobile review

View deals at Tesco Mobile

8. iD Mobile: Best mobile network for low-cost smartphones and unlimited plans

Price when reviewed: From £6/mth to £18/mth (SIM only)If you’re looking for maximum data for the minimum monthly cost, iD Mobile is pretty hard to beat. At the time of writing, you can have 150GB for £12/mth if you’re happy to sign up for a 24-month plan, while its Unlimited package is the cheapest in the business, at £16/mth on a two-year contract, or £18 if you’re happier with a 30-day commitment. To make it even better value, iD Mobile has a rollover feature, pushing unused data allowances over to the next month. The network also throws in inclusive EU roaming, subject to a fair use cap that varies with the cost of your plan. What’s more, iD Mobile is consistently good value for Pay Monthly smartphone deals on a 24-month contract, often undercutting the competition by £5 to £10 or more per month.
Like its newest rival, Smarty, iD uses Three as its host network, which means good speeds and coverage across the board. Not only does RootMetrics place Three as the second-fastest network overall, but Three is the only UK network to post median 5G download speeds of over 200Mbits/sec in eight of the 16 cities where RootMetrics runs its 5G tests. In the others, it still hits median download speeds of over 100Mbits/sec.
Our 2022 Mobile Network Awards research pinpoints some issues with customer service; only 29% of the users we surveyed said they were very satisfied on this count. However, Ofcom’s latest report shows that things are improving, with fewer complaints per 100,000 customers than in 2022, and a below-average number of users with a reason to complain. It faces tough competition from Smarty, but iD Mobile is a network that’s always worth checking out.

Read our full iD Mobile review

Key specs – Network type: Virtual network operator (Three); Minimum plan: £6/mth, 4 to 6GB, unlimited minutes, unlimited texts; Maximum plan: £16 to £18/mth, unlimited data, minutes and texts; Discount options: Extra data or discounts on 12-month and 24-month deals; Data rollover: Yes; Additional features: Spending cap, inclusive EU roaming

View deals at iD Mobile