Best mobile network coverage in the UK

Which network has the best mobile coverage?

As mobile networks continue to improve and 5G reaches more of the country, the scope and quality of mobile phone coverage in the UK is improving all the time.

Even so, there are some areas where coverage is still patchy.

By analysing various mobile phone stats, we have compared each major carrier and outlined the sort of coverage and connection speeds you'll receive, as well as any perks and sweeteners you can expect for choosing that network, whether you're on a pay monthly or SIM only deal.

Thinking of changing network? We talk you through the switching process with our one-stop guide to switching.

EE mobile phone coverage

By some margin, EE offers the UK's widest and fastest 4G coverage. At the time of writing, its standard 4G network covered 99% of the UK population.

EE offers faster 4G services in select locations, but these are largely limited to cities and larger towns.

The connection speed you'll get depends on your phone and the EE plan you're signed up for. But even the cheapest EE plans can theoretically give you a connection speed of up to 60Mbps.

At the other end of the scale, in parts of central London, the maximum speed can reach up to 150Mbps.

EE also offers a 5G network connection for customers in 50 UK towns and cities, including London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Northampton, and more. In certain areas, 5G connections can reach speeds of over 500Mbps.

Take a close look at coverage in your area with EE's mobile phone coverage checker.

Three mobile phone coverage

Three's 4G network covers 91% of the UK population as of August 2017, making it one of the country's widest-ranging networks.

Its combined 3G and 4G mobile phone coverage covers 99.8% of the population, which again compares very favourably with rivals.

Three 5G is also available in parts of over 588 towns and cities across the UK, covering over 60% of the country's outdoors at the time of writing.

So, if you live in an urban location, you will likely be able to benefit from its ultrafast 5G speeds.

You can check the coverage in our area with Three's postcode checker

Compare our best Three SIM only deals

Compare our best Three mobile deals

O2 mobile phone coverage

O2 offers nearly 99% combined 3G and 4G outdoor population coverage across the UK.

O2’s 5G service has launched in dozens of towns and cities in the UK, including Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Slough and more.

Get a good idea of O2's service in your area by inputting your postcode into O2's coverage checker.

Compare our best O2 SIM only deals

Compare our best O2 mobile deals

Vodafone mobile phone coverage

Vodafone's 4G service covers over 97% of the UK population.

Test Vodafone's service in your area with its postcode checker.

Compare our best Vodafone SIM only deals

Compare our best Vodafone mobile deals

Tesco Mobile mobile phone coverage

Tesco Mobile's service is based on O2's network. That means that if you choose Tesco Mobile, you'll get a network with combined 4G and 5G coverage of 99% of the UK population.

Get an idea of Tesco Mobile coverage in your area with the Tesco Mobile postcode checker.

Compare our best Tesco SIM only deals

iD Mobile mobile phone coverage

iD Mobile uses Three's network, so you get the same nationwide coverage as you would if you were signed up with Three.

In addition to the 4G service, which was rated the UK's most reliable in 2015, iD Mobile customers also get fast 3G coverage. The latter covers 99.8% of the population.

You can test if your area is covered by iD Mobile 4G with its coverage checker.

Compare our best ID mobile deals

GiffGaff mobile phone coverage

GiffGaff offers speedy connections at a good price. Like Tesco Mobile, it's based on O2's network and offers 3G and 4G mobile phone coverage and speeds in line with O2.

That means you'll get 99% combined 4G and 3G UK coverage.

Get an idea of coverage quality in your area with GiffGaff's postcode checker.

Compare our best giffgaff SIM only deals

Talkmobile mobile phone coverage

Talkmobile is another value network, but it is based on Vodafone's mobile phone network. Check our Vodafone mobile phone coverage section for the kind of coverage and speeds you can expect.

Talkmobile is a no-frills network. But with good speeds and great price points, there's much to recommend it. And that goes double if you're on a tight budget.

Compare our best Talkmobile SIM only deals

Compare our best Talkmobile mobile deals

Sky Mobile mobile phone coverage

Sky Mobile uses O2’s mobile phone network. So wherever O2 has a signal, Sky Mobile does too. At the time of writing, this will get you 4G coverage in over 98% of the UK population outdoors.

Get the measure of coverage in your area with Sky Mobile's coverage checker.

Compare our best Sky mobile deals

SMARTY mobile phone coverage

Smarty uses Three's 4G network, which offers 99.5% UK outdoor population coverage.

Take a look at Smarty's mobile phone coverage in your area with its postcode checker.

Compare our best Smarty SIM only deals

So which network offers the best mobile phone coverage overall?

If the quality of mobile phone coverage is your main criterion when choosing a network, Three seems to be currently the best.

Data from Opensignal underscore that in April 2023, it recently identified Three as the winner (or co-winner) for its three coverage markers - general availability, 5G availability and 5G reach.

EE and Vodafone were joint second as co-winners with Three for 5G, and O2 was fourth out of the big networks after only achieving co-winner status for 5G reach.

If you're considering a different carrier, take a look at our network-by-network guide. You can see which of the big four networks provides the bedrock of their service. For example, pick SMARTY, and you'll get exactly the same level of mobile phone coverage as Three.

Ultimately, the most important thing is that coverage is good in your area since that's where you'll be spending the most time.

So, the smartest thing to do is use the network coverage checkers we've included in our snapshot of each major network's mobile phone coverage in the section above. Just enter your postcode, and you'll see a map of the signal strength in your area.

Coverage may be good on a range of networks in your area. Lucky you. If that's the case, you can pick your carriers, and you may want to look more closely at perks to help make your mind up.

If you travel abroad a lot, or even if you're just planning a holiday or two, it also makes sense to take into account the scale and quality of networks' roaming schemes.

If you need some help with that, check out our guide to the networks with the best roaming policies.

About mobile phone coverage in the UK

All mobile phones rely on signals from a mobile phone network.

Despite what various networks or handset guidebooks may tell you, you cannot even make an emergency call without a network signal.

The strength or quality of the mobile coverage is largely determined by proximity to a mobile phone network tower.

However, there are other factors that could affect your ability to get the best mobile coverage.

Want to check the mobile phone coverage across a range of networks? We recommend Ofcom's Mobile Checker app for Android and iPhone.

Your mobile phone should tell you how good the network coverage is using a set of bars on the display screen; the signal strength will change as you move around with your mobile phone.

The best mobile phone coverage is generally in urban areas, although even really busy cities have 'dead zones' where there is no network coverage.

Signal 'dead zones' normally occur where the signal between the mobile handset and the phone network cell antenna is blocked.

Tunnels, hills or dense, tall buildings can block mobile phone signals.

Rural areas with a smaller population have less physical interference but are often too far away from a mast for a good signal.

This is constantly improving as more and more antennas are put up around the country to improve UK coverage.

Decided on a network? Now you just need to pick a phone. Check out our pick of the top selling smartphones.

Top selling smartphones

If you need more help, our mobile phone guides have all the information you need.