Picking the best mobile phone network in the UK may feel at times like picking the best TV channel or the best song – with so many to consider, it can be a bit overwhelming to rank them all! Thankfully, there are many sources of information out there and many dedicated experts who work hard to collect all of this information, making it easily reviewed by the masses. Whether you currently have a plan and wish to get out of it (take your phone with you, via Unlocking Smart) or you are in the market for a new phone and plan, it’s important to make the right decision. We’ll review the top carriers in the country and let you know which one we think is the best and which one we think is the worst.

Network Reliability – Three

Many different metrics must be considered when picking “the best” mobile phone network – what is important to you? Whether you care more about speed, price or reliability will determine the final verdict. Three’s network is unparalleled in its stability and reliability – it offers more consistent coverage than any other network. Three’s prices fall near the middle of mobile phone networks, making choice based on price not a strong one in either direction. All in all, you can’t go wrong with three if you live in a more rural or suburban area and have experienced issues in the past with other networks dropping calls and losing service.

Price – O2

O2 ranks as our second-best phone network out of the big 4, in large part because of its affordable and reasonable prices. Depending on the plan selected, plans via O2 will be at or near the bottom of the list in terms of price. In addition to O2’s reasonable prices, it also does well with coverage and stability of service. In several consumer reviews, O2 consistently ranks 1st or 2nd overall among the major carriers, and we this think is an accurate reflection.

Worst – Vodafone

Vodafone has been ranked negatively by consumers before, and we agree with their verdict. Vodafone has some of the weakest coverage maps of any mobile network in the UK. In addition, Vodafone’s prices are much higher than every other major carrier, begging the question of how it is even in business. While it is expanding its 4G service and it looks very promising, we cannot recommend choosing this carrier at this time.

Best Speed – EE

EE is a well-established network that continues to grow by the day. One of its main selling points is that it has the fastest data connections available for the price of any carrier. Those who value fast data speeds for streaming audio, video, playing games and surfing the web will probably find EE to be their best pick. In fact, customer surveys of major mobile networks in the UK revealed that EE was consistently ranked the best overall. Whether you live in a metro area or in the countryside, EE has acceptable coverage with affordable prices and lightning-fast speeds that all make it the best mobile network in the country right now.