There are many cell phone operators within the UK, however a lot of them ‘piggyback’ off the networks offered by the large 4 – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.
So, who makes use of which community and what benefits are there of utilizing a piggyback service? Right here is every part you want to find out about them.
What’s a piggyback telephone community?
Establishing a cell phone community isn’t any small feat. You want transmitters and different costly infrastructure that price enormous quantities of cash, so it isn’t doable for plenty of corporations to create them.
As a option to offset a few of these prices, the community house owners permit others to pay to make use of them. That’s why these are known as piggyback companies.
Howeverf, formally they’re referred to as MVNOs, which stands for Cell Digital Community Operators.
What are the primary networks within the UK?
There are 4 primary networks:
In 2023, Three and Vodafone introduced their intention to merge, however the means of this being accepted and finalised will take some time, if it occurs in any respect. So, in the intervening time we nonetheless have 4 main suppliers within the UK.
Additionaly, due to MVNOs, there’s a much wider selection of the place to get a a SIM, and sometimes for a a lot decrease price than utilizing one of many primary 4.
Right here’s a breakdown of the primary MVNOs within the UK, and which of the ‘actual’ networks they use. That’s necessary as a result of protection does fluctuate between them, and in order for you 5G, it’s smart to examine if that’s accessible the place you reside, work and go repeatedly.
Listed here are the primary MVNOs within the UK.
Which MVNOs use the EE community?
Which MVNOs use the O2 community?
Which MVNOs use the Three community?
Which MVNOs use the Vodafone community?
Advantages of a piggyback cellular operator
Whereas it may appear that apparent factor to do is to get a SIM card straight from EE, O2, Three or Vodafone – the individuals who really personal the networks – there are some good causes to select a piggyback operator.
As these MVNOs don’t have the extra price of sustaining and enhancing the networks, it permits them to supply some critical benefits for his or her prospects.
That’s why one of many hallmarks of piggyback suppliers is you can normally get cheaper plans by signing up with them. That is significantly true in the event you hold your current telephone and go for a SIM-only deal.
For instance, on the time of writing O2 is providing a SIM-only deal that features limitless calls, limitless texts and 12GB of information for £17.99 per thirty days, and that’s a two-year contract.
Alternatively, Giffgaff (which makes use of the O2 community) presents the identical deal however with 40GB of information as a substitute, for £15 per thirty days and you may cancel at any time because it’s a month-to-month rolling contract. Clearly significantly better worth.
Artur Tomala / Foundry
Artur Tomala / Foundry
Artur Tomala / Foundry
Because the tariffs talked about above present, MVNOs are free to supply extra flexibility of their plans, which in flip makes it extra possible that you simply’ll have the ability to discover one which fits your wants. One of many greatest benefits is that many provide rolling month-to-month plans the place you may cease paying at any time and transfer to a special supplier in the event you spot a greater deal.
You would possibly nonetheless need to join an extended contract, however on the different finish of the size, there are pay-as-you-go plans that imply you solely pay for the information, calls and texts you make. That is the form of freedom you gained’t usually get with one of many 4 main networks.
For those who’re travelling or wish to check out one other community then the month-to-month rolling choices are low-risk as you gained’t be tied into an extended contract. This may very well be significantly useful in the event you’ve simply moved to a brand new location and discover that your current community protection isn’t very robust there.
Downsides of a piggyback cellular operator
One factor you don’t get are the bonus options which are usually utilized by main networks as incentives to select them as a substitute. These would possibly embrace free subscriptions to streaming companies, reductions at outlets or different leisure perks.
For instance, the Three+ incentive scheme consists of offers at Cineworld, Caffe Nero, Nike, Uber Eats and extra, plus entry to presale tickets to concert events and festivals. O2 Precedence may be very related.
Artur Tomala / Foundry
Artur Tomala / Foundry
Artur Tomala / Foundry
One other factor is that you could be additionally discover that the vary of telephones accessible on the plans from main networks is healthier than on MVNOs. So, in the event you do assume you wish to purchase a brand new telephone in your plan then it could be value checking just a few totally different networks earlier than you join.
Finally, assist can be value taking into account. To supply a less expensive service, chances are you’ll discover {that a} piggyback operator doesn’t have phone assist. For those who need assistance, you may need to fill out a web-based type. Giffgaff depends closely on assist from its personal group, for instance.
There are two totally different companies that are MVNOs but in addition sub-brands of the bigger networks. These are Smarty, which is a part of Three, and Voxi, which is a part of Vodafone. Each have some nice offers, so you may get the perfect of each worlds if you wish to use the Three or Vodafone networks.
Why select a piggyback cellular operator?
For most individuals, getting a SIM from Lebara, Tesco or one of many different piggyback suppliers will save some huge cash and provides extra freedom to change everytime you need.
You would possibly miss out on the varied incentives supplied by main networks, however the cash you save is nearly actually value extra. Notably, you’ll get the identical protection and speeds (many MVNOs provide 5G as customary now) and roaming choices, too.
As with all telephone plan, you need to examine the most recent offers from each the community operators and those who piggyback off them. And as you would possibly anticipate, we’ve rounded up the perfect SIM-only offers to save lots of you time.
For extra particulars, check out our roundup of the perfect telephone networks and greatest Pay As You Go networks within the UK.
