UK
Mobile Phone Networks
There are 4 major mobile phone networks operating
in the UK. Vodafone, O2 (formerly BT Cellnet), Orange and
T-Mobile (formerly One 2 One). Originally, Vodafone and
BT Cellnet operated the Analogue (1st generation) networks.
All 4 now operate digital (2nd generation) networks. There
are now also several "virtual" networks that use the T-Mobile
network. These are Virgin Mobile, Fresh and Value Telecom
which have different tariffs and charges, but they all use
the T-Mobile technology.
Network Coverage
All the networks give reasonable network coverage
within the UK, but you could experience problems in the
more rural areas with any network. Vodafone and O2 seem
to provide the best coverage overall with T-Mobile offering
the least coverage. It is believed that Orange and T-Mobile
signals work less well in buildings, because of the higher
frequency of their signals so if you tend to use your phone
mainly inside you might want to consider one of the other
networks - ask friends in your local area how they find
the signal strength of the various networks.
If you plan to use your phone abroad you should
consider getting a dual-band phone (one that can operate
on both GSM 900 and GSM 1800) as different networks ion
different countries operate either on GSM 900 or GSM 1800.
The Vodafone and O2 networks are GSM 900, whilst the Orange
and T-Mobile networks are GSM 1800. If you want to use your
phone in the US then you will need to ensure that it is
Triband (i.e. that it can operate on GSM 900, GSM 1800 and
also with the system used in the US).
Another consideration is that when you buy
a phone from Orange or T-Mobile, it is "locked" to the network,
so that moving to another network after your contract expires
is not an easy process (if you want to keep your current
phone and number that is). If you buy a Vodafone or O2 phone,
then you can easily move to the other GSM 900 network once
your 12 month contract has expired.
