Mobile Networks Using Coverage From EE & Cheaper ‘Piggyback’ SIMs

In the UK, 13 other mobile networks piggyback on coverage from EE. You can therefore get EE coverage from other networks at a fraction of the price.

In the UK, there are only four network coverage providers: EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. Around them, there’s an ecosystem of “virtual network operators”: mobile networks that piggyback on coverage from one of the four big providers.

At the time of writing, 13 other mobile networks piggyback on coverage from EE. As a customer of one of those 13 mobile networks, you’ll get access to the same underlying coverage that’s available to customers on EE (although sometimes without access to the fastest 4G speeds).

This means on mobile networks like ASDA Mobile, BT Mobile, Plusnet Mobile and Virgin Mobile, you can get access to the same 99% population coverage available on EE. This is often available with a larger data allowance and at a much lower cost (e.g. with Pay As You Go and Pay Monthly plans, starting from as little as £5/month).

In this article, we’ll present a list of mobile networks using coverage from EE. We’ll also compare some of the best value SIM cards using coverage from EE, allowing you to access EE coverage at a lower price elsewhere.

Mobile Networks Using EE Coverage

The following table shows a list of mobile networks using coverage from EE. On all of these networks, you’ll get the same 99% population coverage available to customers on EE:

Mobile Network Brand		Coverage Provider		2G	3G	4G	Coverage Checker
	1pMobile		EE	✔	✔	✔	Check 1pMobile Coverage
	ASDA Mobile		EE	✔	✔	✔	Check ASDA Mobile Coverage
	BT Mobile		EE	✔	✔	✔	Check BT Mobile Coverage
	CMLink		EE	✔	✔	✔	Check CMLink Coverage
	Co-operative Mobile		EE	✔	✔	✘	Check Co-operative Mobile Coverage
	CTExcel		EE	✔	✔	✔	Check CTExcel Coverage
	EE		EE	✔	✔	✔	Check EE Coverage
	IQ Mobile		EE	✔	✔	✔	Check IQ Mobile Coverage
	Orange		EE	✔	✔	✘	Check Orange Coverage
	Plusnet Mobile		EE	✔	✔	✔	Check Plusnet Mobile Coverage
	T-Mobile		EE	✔	✔	✘	Check T-Mobile Coverage
	Utility Warehouse		EE	✔	✔	✔	Check Utility Warehouse Coverage
	Vectone Mobile		EE	✔	✔	✘	Check Vectone Mobile Coverage
	Virgin Mobile		EE	✔	✔	✔	Check Virgin Mobile Coverage

In the past, several other mobile networks (e.g. Post Office Mobile and TPO Mobile) also used coverage from EE. At the time of writing, these networks have either closed or change their network coverage provider.

Tariff Information & Coverage Information

You can find out more information about each network by clicking on their logo to visit their website:

• 
  EE
  3G & 4G
• 
  1pMobile
  3G & 4G
• 
  ASDA Mobile
  3G & 4G
• 
  BT Mobile
  3G & 4G
• 
  CMLink
  3G & 4G
• 
  Co-op Mobile
  3G only
• 
  CTExcel
  3G & 4G
• 
  IQ Mobile
  3G & 4G
• 
  Orange
  3G only
• 
  Plusnet Mobile
  3G & 4G
• 
  T-Mobile
  3G only
• 
  Utility Warehouse
  3G & 4G
• 
  Vectone Mobile
  3G only
• 
  Virgin Mobile
  3G & 4G

On most of the networks above, you can now get 4G coverage from EE. However, the fastest 4G+ download speeds are reserved for customers on an EE Max Plan or on a BT Mobile plan with the Extra Speed 4G add-on. Features like Wi-Fi Calling also tend to be reserved for customers on EE and BT Mobile.

Please note that deals from Orange and T-Mobile are no longer available to new customers. However, if you’re an existing customer of these networks, you can continue to use your existing service with 2G and 3G coverage.

Deals By Price Range

Through the rest of this article, we’ll compare the best value SIM cards giving you coverage from EE. We’ve separated the tariffs out by price range and tariff type (e.g. Pay Monthly or Pay As You Go).

Please select your preferred price range to see a list of currently available deals:

• Pay As You Go
• Less than £10/month
• From £10/month
• From £15/month
• £20/month and more

Pay As You Go

If you’re looking for a traditional Pay As You Go tariff with coverage from EE, you can choose from networks like 1pMobile, ASDA Mobile, Co-Op Mobile and Virgin Mobile as an alternative to EE Pay As You Go. There are also some specialist mobile networks such as CMLink (for calling China) and Vectone Mobile (for international calling).

If you’re looking for the lowest Pay As You Go rates, this can currently be found on 1pMobile. With a SIM card from 1pMobile, you’ll pay just 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB. These are the lowest Pay As You Go rates currently available on any network in the UK. However, you’ll need to top-up your phone with a minimum of £10 every 120 days, meaning there’s effectively a minimum spend of £30 per year.

For greater flexibility, we think ASDA Mobile is one of the best Pay As You Go networks with coverage from EE. You’ll pay 8p/minute, 4p/text and 5p/MB with comprehensive 2G, 3G and 4G coverage. There’s no need to top-up your phone every month (just use it at least once every 270 days to keep your SIM card active). You can also top-up from as little as £1 each time, with bundles available from £5/month for more regular usage.

Less than £10/month

You can get a SIM card for your mobile phone with coverage from EE for as little as £5/month.

If you’re willing to sign up for a Pay Monthly contract, Plusnet Mobile offers 30-day rolling contracts. Virgin Mobile offers SIM-only deals with a 12-month contract.

For added flexibility, you can also look at the Pay As You Go bundles from ASDA Mobile and EE. For instance, ASDA Mobile offers 125 minutes, 2000 texts and 250MB of internet for just £5/month. Alternatively, you can upgrade to 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of data for £7/month.

From £10/month

Most alternative deals using coverage from EE start from around the £10/month price point. Our recommended tariff is ASDA Mobile’s £10 bundle. This gives you 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 3GB of data for £10/month. As it’s a Pay As You Go bundle, there’s no need to undergo a credit check and you also have complete flexibility to change tariffs at any time.

On a Pay Monthly contract, you can consider the deals being offered by EE, BT Mobile and Plusnet Mobile (all three brands belonging to the BT Group). If you’re an existing customer of BT Broadband, a discount of £5/month is available on BT Mobile plans. You can also get a 12-month contract from Virgin Mobile giving you access to 2G, 3G and 4G coverage on EE.

From £15/month

The following deals are available from £15/month with coverage from EE:

£20/month and more

The following deals are available from £20/month with coverage from EE. For £25/month, Virgin Mobile offers an “unlimited everything” tariff but this is exclusive to Virgin home phone & broadband customers.

For more information about data speeds and tethering, tap the data allowances in the table above. For Pay Monthly contracts, you can tap the mobile network’s logo for information about the length of the contract.

More Information

For more information, see our in-depth guide on how mobile phone coverage works in the UK. You can also read our full review of the coverage on EE and also our in-depth reviews of each UK mobile network.