By Lyca Mobile is now powered by EE’s 4G & 5G network. They offer 99% population coverage, plus 5G coverage in 1,000+ UK towns & cities.
In the UK, Lyca Mobile now offers coverage from EE. This is following a recent network change that took place in June 2023. Before this, Lyca Mobile offered coverage from the O2 network instead.
If you’re using a Lyca Mobile SIM card or eSIM on your phone, this means you’ll now have access to 99% population coverage across the UK. This will be provided by EE’s award-winning network. You’ll also have 5G coverage in more than 1,000 UK towns and cities, covering more than 68% of the UK’s population with faster 5G speeds.
In this article, we’ll look at Lyca Mobile’s UK coverage, including the recent move to EE and some of the changes you may see as a result. We’ll also look at how you can check Lyca Mobile’s coverage in your area, along with the download speeds available on Lyca Mobile.
| Lyca Mobile Coverage: | 4G & 5G coverage from EE (99% population coverage on 4G, plus 68% 5G coverage) |
|---|---|
| Best Deals: |
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| Other Key Features: |
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| 5G Coverage Map: | Check Lyca Mobile Coverage Map → |
Contents
Lyca Mobile UK Coverage
In the UK, Lyca Mobile now offers 4G & 5G coverage from EE. This follows a recent network coverage change that took place in June 2023, with Lyca Mobile moving their UK customers from the O2 network to EE.
For most people, the move towards Lyca Mobile using EE’s network for coverage should be a welcome change, delivering faster download speeds and a more reliable connection.
For instance, the latest independent RootMetrics analysis (H1 2023) has named EE as the UK’s best network. This includes having an average download speed that’s more than four times faster than on O2 (the average download speeds measured were 65.1Mbps on EE and 15.5Mbps on O2). EE’s network was also rated as being more reliable, with fewer slowdowns and dropouts compared to other networks. A similar story is told elsewhere (e.g. in the latest Opensignal report where EE has won all five awards for the overall experience of their network).
In fact, this latest change means Lyca Mobile is now one of the best value ways of getting access to EE’s coverage. For comparison, you’ll normally need to pay a lot more to get a SIM card on EE. For instance, EE normally charges £18 per month for 50GB data. On Lyca Mobile, you’ll pay just £5 per month. You’ll also benefit from a more flexible plan on Lyca Mobile, with no contract and no credit check required.
Lyca Mobile Coverage Map
Following the change to EE’s network, Lyca Mobile offers 99% population coverage on 4G. In addition, they offer 5G coverage in more than 1,000 UK towns and cities, covering about 68% of the UK’s population.
To see the coverage that’s available in your area, you can enter your postcode on the Lyca Mobile website:
Check Lyca Mobile UK Coverage (lycamobile.co.uk) →
At present, you won’t have access to Wi-Fi Calling or 4G Calling on Lyca Mobile. However, their press release says this will become available in the future, as part of Lyca Mobile’s partnership with EE. This will also unlock band 20 LTE coverage (800MHz), giving you better indoor coverage on your phone.
Lyca Mobile Download Speeds
On Lyca Mobile, you’ll have access to EE’s 4G & 5G network without any download speed limits. This means you can normally expect download speeds of about 40Mbps on 4G, and download speeds in excess of 100Mbps on 5G.
Unlike some other mobile networks, there are no download speed restrictions on Lyca Mobile. Some alternative plans on other mobile networks have a maximum download speed (e.g. up to 25Mbps).
Best Lyca Mobile Deals
If you’re new to Lyca Mobile, you can take advantage of their exclusive SIM-only deals. With these introductory offers, you can get a Lyca Mobile SIM card from as little as £5/month for 3 months.
The following table shows Lyca Mobile’s best SIM-only deals, with access to 4G & 5G coverage from EE:
| Network | Data | Monthly Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25GB data | £5.00 for 3 months, then £10 per month 1 month rolling | See deal |
| 50GB data | £6.50 for 3 months, then £15 per month 1 month rolling | See deal |
| 88GB data | £8.00 per month 1 month rolling | See deal |
Offer ends 2nd Dec | 100GB data | £10.00 per month 1 month contract | See deal |
| 100GB data | £10.00 for 3 months, then £20 per month 1 month rolling | See deal |
| Unlimited data | £15.00 for 3 months, then £25 per month 1 month rolling | See deal |
There’s no contract and no credit check on Lyca Mobile, giving you the flexibility to change or cancel your plan at any time. All of the plans come with an inclusive allowance of European roaming data. There’s also a range of AloTurka plans with inclusive data for roaming in Turkey.
When you sign up for your Lyca Mobile plan, there’s now the option to get it on an eSIM. This can save you time as there’s no need to wait for a physical SIM card to arrive in the post. Simply scan a QR code on your eSIM-ready phone (such as the iPhone 11, Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later devices) and you’re ready to go with your Lyca Mobile eSIM using coverage from EE.
Other Lyca Mobile Networks
According to Lyca Mobile, they’re the world’s largest virtual network operator, with more than 16 million customers in 22 countries around the world.
Because Lyca Mobile operates in so many different countries around the world, it can sometimes get a little bit confusing if you’re looking for information online (e.g. you might find something that’s only relevant to Lyca Mobile in another country).
The information shown on this page is only relevant to Lyca Mobile in the UK. If you’re using a Lyca Mobile SIM card in another country, the coverage provider for your SIM card will be shown in the table below:
| Country | Coverage Provider |
|---|---|
| Australia | Telstra |
| Austria | A1 Telekom |
| Belgium | Telenet |
| Denmark | Telia/Telenor |
| France | Bouygues Telecom |
| Germany | Vodafone Germany |
| Ireland | 3 Ireland |
| Italy | Vodafone Italy |
| Macedonia | one.Vip |
| Netherlands | KPN |
| Norway | Telia |
| Poland | Plus |
| Portugal | Vodafone Portugal |
| Romania | Telekom |
| Sweden | Telenor |
| Switzerland | Swisscom |
| Tunisia | Tunisie Télécom |
| South Africa | Cell C |
| Ukraine | 3mob |
| United Kingdom | EE |
| United States | T-Mobile USA |
| Uganda | Lyca Mobile Uganda |
For more information, please refer to the local Lyca Mobile website for your country.
More Information
For more information about Lyca Mobile’s coverage in the UK, see the Lyca Mobile UK coverage map.
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