I think (and this was some time ago!) that you needed to activate the O2 ones in store, because I think Carp-phone whale house (if you ever worked there you’ll know the real “internal” name") made you do this as part of the setup.
That was 16 years ago so I might have totally misremembered that!
Yes, I have some old kit laying around 
Includes: iPhone, Stereo Headset with mic, Dock, Dock Connector to USB 2.0 Cable, and USB Power Adapter. Supports quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MH), Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), EDGE, and Bluetooth 2.0.
Requirements: Minimum new 18-month airtime agreement with 02 required to activate all iPhone features, including iPod features’* Mac or PC with USB 2.0 - Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later, Windows XP Home or Professional (SP2), or Windows Vista • iTunes 7.5 or later required for activation and some features (free download from iTunes - Apple (UK)) • iTunes Store account+
Internet access
'Credit check required, must be 18 years or older. Selected calling plans only; online billing and payment by direct debit only: full details and airtime agreement at www.02.co.uk Airtime service is solely provided by and is the responsibility of 02.
Transferring your mobile number will terminate your service with your existing provider; termination fees and other charges may apply. Some wireless features are not available in all areas. Free account signup through Tunes, valid credit card may be required, 'Broadband recommended; fees may apply. Use constitutes acceptance of Apple’s software license agreement and third-party terms found at Legal - Software License Agreements - Apple. Battery has limited recharge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced by Apple service provider. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings. See Batteries - Apple. 1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less. 02 and the 02 logo are registered trademarks of
02 Holdings Limited.
I have a shelf full of old Apple kit starting with that original iPhone then the 3GS, 5S, and iPhone 13 Pro. Not sure where my iPhone X box is. The latest iPhone 
box is 1/3 the size of the original.
Lyca is pretty good now merged to EE.
Just hoping Wi-Fi Calling comes sooner rather than later, the BT press release about the deal between BT Wholesale/Lyca said it’s coming but didn’t give a timeframe 
Doubt it’ll be too long, they only just moved over networks.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen a network switch so seamless.
Whenever I’m on a mvno I always referred to it as the host network to people for simplicity and not having to explain about it.
If you’re getting good value for money and you get coverage, the name isn’t too important.
Does Lyca have vat pricing on their billing? (As in is it itemized)
Just check your last bill, is the vat listed on it?
So I’ve signed up to Lyca, so far blazing fast EE 5G speed.
Downsides. No WiFi calling or HD Voice
I must be really lucky with O2 
not the fastest, but it works for what I need.
I had the exact same issue, was double charged when purchasing a sim. I tired to contact customer support but spent hours and got nowhere so raised a email ticket. It’s only for £1.99 so I’m really not that fussed it’s just the principle that they charged me twice . To top it all off I can’t even use the esim for some reason
I’ve never had an issue with Voxi or smarty in the past (Vodafone and Three), they’re much more competitive for no difference in service (yes, you can’t call someone to fix anything, but never really had anything to be fixed).
I think voxi are a pretty decent VMNO, as good as they come considering it literally is just Vodafone, Vodafone SIM card etc
If I wasn’t still on BT mobile I would most likely switch to voxi
And Voxi’s special offers tend to be very good. I have 45GB for £10, and I think I still have free data for music apps.
60gb for £12 now which I think includes everything.
I am having a nightmare with voxi. I migrated a payg voda sim to them which all seemed fine but I couldn’t log in. It’s been over 2 weeks and the chat still can’t fix it even though no doubt the billing will go through.
Ah that’s always been an issue.
Follow the change password route via the Vodafone website and then it should allow you in to Voxi.
The login page has been buggy for a long time. I find using the same OTP received multiple times even though it gives an error, then close browser and go back to the account page it lets me in.
