UK Smartphone 3G Coverage: Who Wins?

Understanding Coverage

In the ever more mobile data driven world we do more and more internet based activities with our mobile phones. 3G is the wireless technology used by the smartphone networks that makes this internet data get around at good speeds. This means you can stream music and video, browse the web or send large emails on the move, without a WiFi hotspot.  3G coverage is becoming more and more important and its something you should check up on before buying that smartphone as it can really impact your experience with it.

So who offers the best coverage in the UK

Ofcom have released some maps showing 3G coverage for the various networks, although these are now a little out of date they are still a useful indicator for comparison purposes. More importantly, you should also take into account the specific areas where you care about coverage e.g where you live. Each network provider offers detailed coverage maps and we’ve put all this information together to make it quicker and easier for you to make the right decision.

Please note the date on these maps. They are a couple of years old now and since then Orange has merged with T-Mobile  so we can assume their combined coverage has improved significantly. However, basically it shows us that if 3G is important to you then Three and Orange look like the best bets. Its also important to check your specific area on the networks you care about too so below are all the links you need to do just that.

Three Coverage CheckerO2 Coverage CheckerOrange Coverage CheckerVodafone Coverage Checker

Coverage problems on your network? Tell us your experiences with coverage on the big 4 networks, we love listening and learning. Leave a comment below or send me an email.