How the UK market actually works
Only four companies own mobile masts in the UK: EE (BT Group), O2 (Virgin Media O2), Three (VodafoneThree) and Vodafone. Every other name you see — Tesco Mobile, giffgaff, SMARTY, Sky Mobile, iD Mobile, VOXI, Lebara, 1pMobile — rents signal wholesale from one of those four and resells it under its own brand.
That single fact simplifies every decision: coverage comes from the landlord, price and service come from the brand you buy from. Check the landlord's map, then buy from whoever prices those masts best.
Three
Fast 5G, cheapest unlimited, indoor weakness, merger era.
Full chapterO2
EU roaming kept, split contracts, evening congestion, Priority.
Full chapterSky Mobile
Data reserve, resizable plans, O2 masts underneath.
Full chapterEE
Broadest coverage, 5G+ lead, premium pricing, BT bundles.
OverviewSmall networks
Seven budget brands and the masts they rent.
GuideReady to move?
The one-text switching system explained.
Picking between the four, honestly
| Coverage above all | EE leads nationally — but your postcode outranks every national headline |
| Cheapest unlimited | Three, year after year |
| EU travel | O2 — the only one with inclusive EU roaming on standard plans |
| Flexibility | Sky Mobile's resizing and reserve, or any 1-month rolling plan |
| Households | EE and O2/Virgin bundles, or Sky's ecosystem, depending which broadband you already have |