Networks like 1pMobile, IQ Mobile, Lyca Mobile, Spusu and Talk Home piggyback on EE’s network for coverage.

If you’d like to access EE’s coverage on your mobile phone, it isn’t always necessary to be an EE customer. That’s because a number of other mobile networks also offer EE coverage – often at a much lower price.

For instance, you can access an EE mobile signal when you’re using a SIM card from 1p Mobile, IQ Mobile, Lyca Mobile, spusu or Talk Home Mobile. That’s because the five mobile networks piggyback on EE for coverage.

In this article, we’ll look at the mobile networks that offer coverage from EE. We’ll start by looking at the best value deals with EE coverage including SIM-only deals, unlimited data plans and Pay As You Go deals. We’ll then look at each mobile network in more detail, including the specific features and benefits they offer.

EE Coverage: 99% UK population coverage
Networks Using EE:
Best SIM Only Plans:

(no contract, prices may increase after introductory period)

Best Unlimited Data Plan: £9.99/month for 6 months, then £25/month on Lyca Mobile
(no contract, no credit check & 5G coverage from EE)
Best For Roaming: Inclusive EU & India data roaming on Lyca Mobile
(up to 12GB on limited data plans, 35GB on unlimited plans)
Best for Customer Benefits: 6 months Apple Music on EE & plans with Inclusive Extras
Best Pay As You Go Plan: 1p/minute, 1p/text & 1p/MB on 1pMobile
(no credit check, minimum spend of £10 every 90 days)

Overview of Networks Using EE

If you’re looking to get EE’s coverage on your mobile phone, there are currently five other mobile networks that you’re able to join, besides EE themselves. These networks are 1p Mobile, IQ Mobile, Lyca Mobile, Spusu and Talk Home.

Regardless of the provider you choose, you’ll have access to the same EE coverage. However, the price of your plan may be different, along with the customer benefits (such as roaming, or inclusive entertainment).

The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of mobile networks that offer coverage from EE:

Mobile Network Plans From EE Coverage Key Features
1p Mobile 1p/minute, 1p/text & 1p/MB 5G
  • No monthly fee & no credit check
EE £18/month 5G
  • Savings for EE broadband customers
  • Inclusive Smart Benefits on EE Smart
  • 6 months free Apple Music
IQ Mobile £7/month 5G
Lyca Mobile £5.90/month 5G
  • No credit check & introductory offers
spusu £2.90/month 5G
  • No credit check
Talk Home Mobile £5/month 5G
  • No credit check

Best SIM Only Deals

If you’re looking for a low-cost SIM-only plan with EE coverage, the best value plans can typically be found on Lyca Mobile and Spusu. Both of them offer one-month rolling plans, with 4G & 5G coverage from the EE network.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
spusuUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£1.00
for 4 months, then £5/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£1.29
for 3 months, then £5.90/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited15GB£1.80
for 3 months, then £8.50/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£2.39
for 3 months, then £7.90/month
1 month
spusuUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£2.90
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£5.99
for 6 months, then £12/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited88GB£8.00
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited200GB£9.99
for 12 months, then £25/month
1 month

Unlimited Data Plans

If you’re looking for unlimited data, this is currently available from £9.99 per month on Lyca Mobile for six months (£25 per month thereafter). It’s a one-month rolling plan (available in March 2024), so you can easily change it or cancel it at any time.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£9.99
for 6 months, then £25/month
1 month

It’s also possible to get an unlimited data plan direct from EE. EE’s unlimited data plans start from £29 per month (unless you’re an EE home broadband customer, in which case you can get it from £10). However, it’s worth keeping an eye out for the maximum speed restrictions (10Mbps on No Frills and 100Mbps on Essential). On the All Rounder plan, you’ll get the fastest available speeds and an Inclusive Extra.

TariffMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
No FrillsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max
£29.00
24 months
EssentialUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£32.00
6 months half price
24 months
All RounderUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£40.00
6 months half price
24 months
Full WorksUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£47.00
24 months

For more information, see our full guide to unlimited data plans in the UK.

International Roaming

On EE’s Pay Monthly plans, you’ll need to pay an extra £2.47 per day to use your phone in Europe. In contrast, most of the other providers using EE coverage still offer EU roaming at no extra cost.

For most people, we’d recommend choosing a Lyca Mobile plan for international roaming. That’s because they have fairly generous data roaming limits (12GB per month on limited data plans, and 35GB per month on unlimited data plans). In addition, you can get your plan on a Lyca Mobile eSIM, for instant online delivery and the ability to use it alongside another SIM card.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
LycamobileUnlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited10GB
(10GB roaming)
£1.49
for 3 months, then £5.90/month
LycamobileUnlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited15GB
(12GB roaming)
£1.80
for 3 months, then £8.50/month
LycamobileUnlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited20GB
(12GB roaming)
£2.39
for 3 months, then £7.90/month
LycamobileUnlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited88GB
(12GB roaming)
£8.00
LycamobileUnlimited
+100 intl.
UnlimitedUnlimited
(35GB roaming)
£9.99
for 6 months, then £25/month

You’ll be able to use your data allowance at no extra cost in both the EU and India. Lyca Mobile also offers a number of AloTurka plans with inclusive roaming in Turkey.

Customer Benefits

If you’re looking for a SIM-only plan with added customer benefits, it’s worth considering a plan direct from EE. For instance, all of their Pay Monthly plans come with 6 months of inclusive Apple Music (worth £10.99 per month).

If you choose one of EE’s All Rounder plans (available from £33 per month), you’ll also get an Inclusive Extra for the entire length of your contract. The value of the Inclusive Extra depends on what you choose. For instance, if you were to choose the TNT Sports on discovery+ Extra, this would save you £20 per month. It may therefore save you money overall, compared to getting another plan and separately subscribing to TNT Sports. On the other hand, some of the inclusive extras are worth as little as £5.99 per month so you might be better off getting it separately.

TariffMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
All RounderUnlimitedUnlimited25GB£33.00
24 months
All RounderUnlimitedUnlimited125GB£35.00
3 months half price
24 months
All RounderUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£40.00
6 months half price
24 months

On the other mobile networks, you’re won’t get as much in terms of additional customer benefits. However, the lower monthly price can offset this, along with the other features available such as inclusive EU roaming.

Pay As You Go

If you’re looking for a Pay As You Go plan with coverage from EE, there are three main options:

  • 1p Mobile offers a traditional Pay As You Go service, where you’ll pay 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB. However, there’s a minimum spend of £10 every 90 days so it isn’t suitable for very light users.
  • EE offers a range of Data Pack bundles on Pay As You Go. Plans start from £10 per month with access to EE’s 4G network and a maximum download speed of 25Mbps.
  • Talk Home offers a traditional Pay As You Go service, where there’s no need to top-up every month. You’ll pay 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB on their ‘Penny Pro’ plan. However, you’ll need to manually opt-in to this plan every 30 days to get the lower rate. In addition, you’ll need to make a chargeable activity at least once every 90 days to keep your SIM card active.

For more information, see our guide to the best Pay As You Go SIM cards in the UK.

Mobile Networks Using EE Coverage


Flexible PAYG with low rates, but £10 min. spend per 90 days

1pMobile

Plans From: 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB
Types of Plan:
Pay As You Go
Coverage: Uses EE network (5G)check postcode
Network Speeds: Uncapped 5G speeds
Reasons To Buy:
  • A flexible Pay As You Go service with some of the UK’s lowest rates.
  • Optional 30-day bundles such as 25GB for £10 and 50GB for £15.
Reasons To Avoid:
  • Minimum spend requirement of £10 every 90 days.

If you’re looking for a Pay As You Go mobile service with 5G coverage from EE, 1pMobile offers a flexible Pay As You Go plan with rates of just 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB. The catch is that you’ll need to spend at least £10 every 90 days on the service. This is equivalent to spending an average of £3.33 per month.

If you’d like a bundle, they have a range of options available from £7.50 per month. For instance, you can get 4GB data for £7.50, 25GB data for £10 and 50GB data for £15. On all of these plans, you’ll get unlimited UK minutes and unlimited UK texts included.

As a special offer for readers of this website, you can get a 4GB Data Boost for free when you activate a new 1pMobile SIM card. Simply order your SIM card through this link and enter VAKTT4GB as your voucher code at the checkout.

1pMobile has been around since 2016. It’s a sister company of the Utility Warehouse and is also part of the FTSE 250-listed Telecom Plus PLC. According to their latest report, they have 420,000 mobile customers, split across the 1pMobile and Utility Warehouse brands. This makes them a medium-sized provider, with a track record over the last 8 years.


Best for customer benefits & for savings with EE home broadband

EE

Plans From: £18 per month
Types of Plan:
Pay Monthly & Pay As You Go
Coverage: Uses EE network (5G)check postcode
Network Speeds: 10Mbps (No Frills)
25Mbps 4G (Pay As You Go)
100Mbps (Essentials)
Uncapped 5G speeds (All Rounder & Full Works)
Reasons To Buy:
  • Get 6 months of free Apple Music on all Pay Monthly plans.
  • Inclusive Extras (e.g. Netflix, TNT Sports, Xbox Game Pass) on All Rounder & Full Works plans.
  • Savings for EE home broadband customers (e.g. unlimited data from £10pm).
  • Stay Connected Data, at up to 0.5Mbps on Pay Monthly plans (excl. No Frills).
Reasons To Avoid:
  • Unless you have EE home broadband, this is generally the most expensive way of getting EE coverage.
  • It costs an extra £2.47 per day to use your phone in Europe.
  • Annual price rises apply on Pay Monthly plans (CPI+3.9%).
  • Some of EE’s cheaper plans have a speed limit, and PAYG is limited to 4G.

You can get a SIM-only deal directly from EE. This tends to be the most expensive way to get a SIM card with EE coverage. Having said that, the added benefits such as 6 months Apple Music can make this worthwhile for some, along with the Inclusive Extras and the Stay Connected Data on certain plans.

At present, EE’s SIM-only deals start from £18 per month (or £10 per month if you’re an EE home broadband customer).

No Frills

EE’s cheapest plans are available as part of their No Frills range. Here, you’ll get download speeds of up to 10Mbps which is roughly equivalent to the speed of a basic 4G connection. You’ll also get the 6 months Apple Music included, but you won’t get other customer benefits like Inclusive Extras or Stay Connected Data.

TariffMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
No FrillsUnlimitedUnlimited2GB
10Mbps max
£18.00
24 months
No FrillsUnlimitedUnlimited5GB
10Mbps max
£22.00
1 month
No FrillsUnlimitedUnlimited125GB
10Mbps max
£24.00
24 months
No FrillsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max
£29.00
24 months

Essentials

For download speeds of up to 100Mbps, you can get an EE Essential SIM card from £23 per month. This is a good option for most users, and it comes with Stay Connected Data (allowing you to stay connected at 0.5Mbps, even when your data runs out).

TariffMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
EssentialUnlimitedUnlimited25GB
100Mbps max
£23.00
24 months
EssentialUnlimitedUnlimited125GB
100Mbps max
£27.00
3 months half price
24 months
EssentialUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£32.00
6 months half price
24 months

All Rounder

The next level up is EE’s All Rounder plans, which start from £33 per month. On these plans, you’ll get an Inclusive Extra included for the length of your contract, such as Netflix, Apple Music or TNT Sports Ultimate. You’ll also get EE’s fastest available speeds.

TariffMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
All RounderUnlimitedUnlimited25GB£33.00
24 months
All RounderUnlimitedUnlimited125GB£35.00
3 months half price
24 months
All RounderUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£40.00
6 months half price
24 months

Full Works

Finally, EE’s flagship Full Works plan is available from £47 per month. It comes with unlimited data and 3 Smart Benefits for the entire length of your contract. You’ll also get EE’s fastest available speeds.

TariffMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
Full WorksUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£47.00
24 months
Full WorksUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£49.00
12 months

EE Home Broadband Customers

If you’re an EE home broadband customer, you can take advantage of their ‘unlimited data unlocked‘ promotion. With this, you’ll pay £10/month for the No Frills unlimited data plan (for speeds of up to 10Mbps), £13/month for the Essentials unlimited data plan (up to 100Mbps), and £19/month for the All Rounder unlimited data plan (with uncapped download speeds and one Inclusive Extra).

Pay As You Go

It’s also possible to use EE on a Pay As You Go basis with no contract and no credit check. However, EE’s Pay As You Go Packs will only give you access to 4G coverage. They’re also capped at a maximum download speed of 25Mbps and you won’t have access to benefits like Apple Music or Inclusive Extras.


A small provider with 3-month plans and bespoke, personal service

IQ Mobile

Plans From: £7 per month
Types of Plan:
Pay Monthly
Coverage: Uses EE network (5G)check postcode
Network Speeds: Uncapped 5G speeds
Reasons To Buy:
  • Inclusive EU roaming with no data caps.
  • A small and independent business with responsive customer service.
Reasons To Avoid:
  • Plans are fairly expensive, with the first 3 months needing to be paid upfront.

If you’re looking for a small and independent provider that offers EE coverage, IQ Mobile offers SIM-only deals from £7/month. When you sign up, you’ll need to pay for the first 3 months upfront. However, after that, it’s a one-month rolling agreement so you can cancel your plan at any time.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
IQ MobileUnlimitedUnlimitedNo data£7.00
3 months
IQ MobileUnlimitedUnlimited3GB£10.00
3 months
IQ MobileUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£12.50
3 months
IQ MobileUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£15.00
3 months
IQ MobileUnlimitedUnlimited100GB£25.00
3 months

IQ Mobile offers inclusive EU roaming on all of their plans. They also promise “bespoke and personal service from a small expert team” based in Bath, Wells and London.


Contract-free plans with an introductory saving, intl roaming & calls

Lyca Mobile

Plans From: £1.29 per month
(e.g. 5GB for £1.29, 20GB for £2.39 and unlimited for £9.99)
Types of Plan:
Pay As You Go (no contract & no credit check)
Coverage: Uses EE network (5G)check postcode
Network Speeds: Uncapped 5G speeds
Reasons To Buy:
  • SIM-only plans with no contract & no credit check. Change or cancel any time.
  • Introductory deals from £1.29pm for 3 months. Unlimited for £9.99pm for 6 months.
  • Inclusive roaming in the EU and India. Plans available with roaming in Turkey.
  • Inclusive international minutes & support for eSIM technology.
Reasons To Avoid:
  • Monthly price goes up after the introductory period, unless you cancel.
  • No access to band 20 LTE (800MHz) coverage.

Lyca Mobile offers low-cost Pay As You Go plans with no contract, no credit check, and access to EE’s 5G network. You’ll get inclusive roaming in both Europe and India on all of their plans. There are also inclusive international minutes and support for the latest eSIM technology.

As a special offer for March 2024, you can get a Lyca Mobile SIM card from just £1.29 per month for 3 months. Some of our recommended deals include the 20GB plan (£2.39 per month for 6 months) and the 88GB plan (£8 per month). There’s also Lyca Mobile’s unlimited data plan which is available for just £9.99 per month for 6 months.

The following table shows Lyca Mobile’s latest SIM-only deals:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£1.29
for 3 months, then £5.90/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£1.49
for 3 months, then £5.90/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited15GB£1.80
for 3 months, then £8.50/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£2.39
for 3 months, then £7.90/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£5.99
for 6 months, then £12/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited88GB£8.00
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£9.99
for 6 months, then £25/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited200GB£9.99
for 12 months, then £25/month
1 month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited100GB£10.00
for 6 months, then £20/month
1 month

The main disadvantage to be aware of is the fact that the price of your plan will increase at the end of your introductory period. However, there’s no contract and the plans are flexible, so you easily change or cancel it at any time.

Another disadvantage of Lyca Mobile is the fact that customers won’t have access to band 20 LTE spectrum. This is sometimes important in more rural areas, meaning you might be better off on another network if you need access to this.


A new provider with EU calls, EU roaming & WhatsApp support

Spusu

Plans From: £1 per month
Types of Plan:
Pay Monthly
Coverage: Uses EE network (5G)check postcode
Network Speeds: Uncapped 5G speeds
Reasons To Buy:
  • Cheap SIM-only plans with EE coverage & one-month rolling contract.
  • 500 international minutes to the EU, plus inclusive EU roaming.
  • Customisable voicemail & WhatsApp customer support.
Reasons To Avoid:
  • A fairly new provider: they only launched in the UK in April 2023.

If you’re looking for a low-cost SIM-only plan that’s available on a one-month rolling basis, Spusu is a new provider that offers plans from £2.90 per month with 5G coverage on EE. All of their plans come with unlimited UK minutes, unlimited texts and 500 international minutes for calling EU countries. You’ll also have the option of getting customer support through WhatsApp or Signal.

The following table shows spusu’s latest SIM-only deals in the UK:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
spusuUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£1.00
for 4 months, then £5/month
1 month
spusuUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£2.90
1 month
spusuUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£9.90
1 month
spusuUnlimitedUnlimited40GB£10.90
1 month
spusuUnlimitedUnlimited50GB£12.90
1 month
spusuUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£29.90
1 month

In the UK, Spusu is still a fairly new provider with a limited track record. They launched in April 2023 and have only 24 customer reviews on Trustpilot, at the time of writing. Having said that, they’ve been around in other European countries, having been founded in Austria in 2015. It’s believed they currently have 500,000 customers in Austria, along with an undisclosed number of customers in Italy.


1-month and 12-month plans with an introductory discount

Talk Home Mobile

Plans From: £5 per month
Types of Plan:
Pay Monthly & Pay As You Go
Coverage: Uses EE network (5G)check postcode
Network Speeds: Uncapped 5G speeds
Reasons To Buy:
  • Introductory savings with a reduced price for up to 3 months.
  • Inclusive roaming in the EU & Australia.
Reasons To Avoid:
  • No access to Wi-Fi Calling, 4G Calling or band 20 LTE (800MHz) coverage.

Talk Home Mobile offers SIM-only plans with access to 4G & 5G coverage from EE. When you sign up as a new customer, you can benefit from a reduced price for up to 3 months. After that, the price of your plan will increase.

The following table shows Talk Home Mobile’s SIM-only deals:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
Talk HomeUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£0.01
for 3 months, then £5/month
1 month
Talk HomeUnlimitedUnlimited8GB£0.99
for 3 months, then £8/month
1 month
Talk HomeUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£1.99
for 3 months, then £10/month
1 month
Talk HomeUnlimitedUnlimited50GB£6.50
for 3 months, then £15/month
1 month
Talk HomeUnlimitedUnlimited100GB£8.50
for 3 months, then £20/month
1 month
Talk HomeUnlimitedUnlimited200GB£13.50
for 3 months, then £35/month
1 month

All of Talk Home Mobile’s SIM-only plans come with inclusive roaming in the EU and Australia. However, there’s no access to Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling at present. In addition, you won’t have access to EE’s band 20 LTE coverage (800MHz).

Talk Home Mobile also offers a traditional Pay As You Go plan, where there’s no need to top-up every month. On their Penny Pro plan, you’ll pay 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB. However, you’ll need to manually opt-in to this plan every 30 days. In addition, you’ll need to use your mobile phone for a chargeable activity once every 90 days to keep it active.

Other Networks

There are a number of very small mobile networks that also offer coverage from EE:

  • CMLink UK (from China Mobile) and CTExcel UK (from China Telecom) are both aimed at the Chinese expat/student community. On both of their services, you’ll get inclusive features such as international calls to China. There’s also the ability to link it to a Chinese phone number for receiving calls and texts, as well as the ability to get customer support in Chinese.
  • Ecotalk and Your Co-Op Mobile are ‘ethical’ providers. With Ecotalk, all of the profits will go towards buying land that is given back to nature. Meanwhile, Your Co-Op Mobile will fund carbon reduction projects, as well as tree planting on behalf of their customers.
  • RWG Mobile is the ‘mobile network for Wales’. They offer a range of SIM-only plans with bi-lingual customer support in English and Welsh.
  • UW (the Utility Warehouse) offers a range of SIM-only plans to go with their energy and insurance services. Customers are typically introduced to the service through ‘partners’ who will earn commission for recommending services from UW.

In the past, there were several other mobile networks that also offered coverage from EE. These include ASDA Mobile (now offering Vodafone coverage), BT Mobile (which closed to new customers in October 2022), Plusnet Mobile (which closed to new customers in March 2023), To The Moon Mobile (now closed), Vectone Mobile (now closed) and Virgin Mobile (now closed).

In addition, the old Orange and T-Mobile networks were absorbed into EE, following their merger in 2010.

More Information

For more information, you can read our in-depth reviews of 1p Mobile, EE, Lyca Mobile, Spusu, and Talk Home.

Your Comments 33 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 33 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Harold Wilson said:

    Hi Ken,
    I have a similar question as Richard Driscoll.
    My son has a proper EE SIM and when used at home, he gets quite decent data speeds (we tested over several days) but my Lyca SIM barely manages a fraction of his speed.
    so, it’s not even about Volte calling.
    is there anything that can explain the differences?
    he is using an older OnePlus phone and I have a newer Pixel 8 phone.
    when I use a Vodafone SIM in my phone, I can get much higher speed than the Lyca (although not quite as high as my son’s EE SIM)

  • David Armstrong said:

    I’ve just switched to Lycamobile which is working well but I’ve just discovered they don’t provide WiFi calling, which I need at home. Do any of the other companies using the EE network provide WiFi calling as I can’t find any information about it?

    • Hi David,
      Thanks for my comment. There’s more information about Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling in my full guide here. However, my understanding is that Lyca Mobile are going to launch this feature imminently, now that they’ve moved to the EE network.
      Ken

  • Richard Driscoll said:

    I’m more than a little confused about whether or not these virtual networks do actually offer the self same coverage as EE itself. For my home postcode I have looked at the 4g coverage maps for Lycamobile, RWG mobile, 1p mobile, IQ mobile and EE itself. Each map gives the information in the form of ‘signal bars,’ text, and map colours.

    For the text report only EE itself says the coverage is great outdoors and good indoors; the four virtual networks say the coverage is good outdoors and variable indoors.

    For the signal bars only EE gives four bars; the other four networks give only 3 bars.

    The map colours are dark green for indoors/outdoors and light green for outdoors only. EE and Lycamobile show dark green while the other three show light green.

    What is the explanation for all this I wonder!

    I read somewhere that net all the virtual networks offer EE 800 MHz band 20 but I also read that Ofcom says that they must offer the same service.

    The best I can come up with is that users of the virtual networks have lower priority than EE users so that during busy periods they may be unable to get on the network (perhaps onto band 20 which is good indoors). This might tie in with the word ‘variable’ in the description of the indoor coverage and also in the difference in map colours.

    Any other explanation appreciated.

    • Hi Richard,
      Thanks for your comment. I believe some EE MVNOs don’t have access to band 20 LTE (800MHz) as this is only available to customers with a VoLTE-compatible plan and phone (VoLTE is also known as 4G Calling). Therefore, if you’re using a VoLTE-compatible phone on a network/plan that doesn’t support it, your indoor coverage may be worse than on an EE plan where VoLTE is supported.
      Having said that, the 3G switch-off is about to kick off this year. As such, I expect 4G Calling to be available more widely very soon (including on the MVNOs), so the discrepancy in 800MHz coverage is likely to reduce.
      Hope this helps!
      Ken

Load more comments (28)

Leave a Reply