Mobile networks

Hey all!

I have been with EE for at least 10 years. Not the cheapest but definitely seem to be the leader in terms of coverage and speed. In terms of perks, I get extra data because I am using them for broadband but that’s about it.

My partner is on 3, which is (from what I can gather) one of the cheapest networks (they offer the cheapest sim only plan with the most allowances at the moment). They have announced today that as a 3 customer, you also get a free upgrade on EasyJet to their easyJet Plus option (http://www.three.co.uk/go-roam/easyjet), as well as the Wuntu app for free things/special offers.

Whats everyone else’s experience with 3? Do you think the likes of EE are a bit out dated on how they do thing (similar to high street banks are)?

I am beginning to feel like 3 are the Monzo of mobile networks!

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Three are cheap for a reason, they are crap

Dead spots all over the show and the slowest 4G I have ever used oh and they don’t 4G roam!

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In south devon, I get way better 3 coverage than EE where I live.

I’m currently using smarty.co.uk which is off the back of 3, generally pretty good coverage, no major complaints with it for the price.

I’ll be going back to Vodafone when I get my next phone though, it’s the only network that copes with all the local hills and doesn’t constantly cut out

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Three has amazing customer service on the live chat (don’t rate their overseas phone service tho) and are pretty generous with credits if they’ve messed up. Judging by the complaints from Londoners and my own experience there it tends to be slower than EE for sure in London but it’s pretty good everywhere else imo. Getting 8GB for £10 a month with a very nice Friends & Family offer I nabbed off Monzo Slack :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: I’m in Manc

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It’s not easyJet Plus. It’s their “Hands Free” service. You can drop your cabin bag at the desk so you don’t have to drag it around the airport. It normally costs £5.

In terms of technology and coverage, EE probably is up near the top if not the top of the lot. They still over the most coverage overall, with higher speeds compared to the competition, and the more native features, true WiFi calling for example, and they started supporting visual voicemail etc. Three still uses an app for some reason?

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Are you sure? Seems to include speedy boarding and everything else included with easyJet plus

Leave your baggage hassles behind, because now you can go Hands Free on all UK outbound easyJet flights, absolutely free. Just drop your cabin bags at the dedicated easyJet Plus Bag Drop, stroll through security stress-free, and even board the plane early. Plus your cabin bags will be one of the first onto the carousel when you arrive at the other side.

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It works well in London in my experience. As others have said, the day isn’t super quick and anytime I’ve measured the 4G speed it’s been the same as the 3G speed. It’s fast enough for ordinary usage, a one hour podcast will download in about 30 seconds in the UK

I’ve found their speed to be very variable in Spain, though. I suspect there’s some throttling going on. Also no 4G when roaming. If you pay a bit extra you can get free roaming in several countries outside Europe which might be worth it if you are a long distance traveler.

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Three uses native IMS for Wi-Fi & LTE calling now, no more apps (thankfully).

As for my recommendation I’d say go with EE on a monthly rolling contract.

Whatever network you choose, do not sign up for a yearly contract - they are scams designed to keep you once you realise how bad their customer service is. Also stay away from all the “offers” like Wuntu or O2 Priority - their main purpose is to resell your data to scammers in exchange for pretty poor deals (when you take into account what kind of personal data is being sold under the hood).

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I switched from Three which I had been with for 4 years to EE, and wouldn’t go back! Was originally with Three because they offered unlimited data, but that’s now gone.

It’s cheaper than other networks, especially when you upgrade, but the coverage is poor.

I got an EE contract now and the speeds I get on 4g are amazing (over 100mbps download)

You can get good deals on mobiles.co.uk (just make sure it’s not one of the cashback offers)

Sadly its too late for that. I’m in a 2 year contract (half way through) with an iPhone 7 (already a year old when I got it brand new) and it costs me £40 per month (unlimited mins/text and 15GB data)

My partner is on 3 on a sim only plan for £10per month rolling. She then went to Apple and got a brand new iPhone 8+ for £35per month (unlimited mins/text and 8GB data)

For an extra £5 she has got a phone two models up from me, and can cancel her contract at any time/pay her phone off early

I think you’re allowed two cabin bags with easyJet Plus. Also it’s only on UK outbound flights. easyJet Plus is available on all flights.

I’ll admit I missed that bit though :man_facepalming:

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Was on EE but moved to Three and not looked back. The only thing I do miss is visual voicemail but not a biggy considering how rarely I get a voicemail!

Really like the feel at home part, when I went to New York earlier in the year it made it so much easier to travel around the city being able to use my phone as I needed to.

Rarely use customer service but it’s never been an issue

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I can’t get WiFi calling to work on Three. The call connects, but no sound, so I gave up.

Probably something weird with your network setup. Can you do calls over LTE? It’s using the same technology under the hood (connecting to the IMS server directly instead of using your own Wi-Fi and an IPSec tunnel), so if that works then it must be your WI-Fi network that’s at fault.

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How have you found the speeds and coverage in the UK and abroad? Do you ever find yourself struggling to get signal?

Also another question for everyone… Do you think with the way things are going, we will reach a point in a couple of years where all networks get the same speed/coverage (by using the same infrastructure like ISP’s do with BT Openreach etc)?

The only issue I have with Three is that 4G in Glasgow City Centre sometimes doesn’t work and I need to force myself over to 3G. I know quite a few people that need to do the same, outside the city centre it’s always fine!

This is good news, I remember it before, and a google still showed them saying to use their app.


For what network to use, I don’t think there’s necessarily a “best”. It’s going to depend on where you live and where you go. Three is non-existent where i live, EE works well for me for now. But you might want to get a few sim only PAYG cards and see what gives you the best signal, you don’t need to put money in them.

Also worth looking for discounts, EE does a student discount through unidays for example (20%) and can apply on top of sales as well, EE and vodafone do NHS and Defence discounts.

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So what data is being sold actually…? and what is the proof that they are selling data and it’s being misused. I think it’s bit of scaremongering in my opinion.
Some people might not like yearly contracts but for me they are good and I am happy to be on O2 refresh contract. I am able to buy the phone I am using whenever I want and end the contract.

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I don’t know, check the privacy policy. But usually it’s your customer record (so name, address, phone number, email) and could contain approximate location data from the network.

In any case, the simple fact where someone is paying to get my data is enough to put me off. Surely if they would be providing me with a service I need, they wouldn’t be paying for my data - they’d just ask me for it and I would give it to them for free, right?

Some people might not like yearly contracts but for me they are good and I am happy to be on O2 refresh contract. I am able to buy the phone I am using whenever I want and end the contract.

What’s wrong with a standard credit agreement (like the iPhone upgrade program) or a credit card?

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