Mobile Network Comparison

Summary

Coverage map

Orange is a mobile network that is part of the Everything Everywhere partnership along with T-Mobile. As a result, Orange customers can also use T-Mobile signal and, as a result, it has one of the best 3G networks in the UK. 2G coverage is also very strong indeed and call quality is great. You can check the Orange coverage map to find out about the signal strength in your local area.

4G

Under the ownership of EE, Orange was the first to launch a 4G service in the UK back in October 2012. Ofcom gave them a monopoly to provide 4G connectivity before any other network. They aim to have 98% of the UK population to be covered by the end of 2014 and use the following frequencies: 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz.

EE offer 4G in the following towns and cities: Aberdeen, Accrington, Aldershot, Altrincham, Amersham, Antrim, Armadale, Ashby-De-La-Zouch, Ashford (Kent), Ashton-Under-Lyne, Aylesbury, Bangor, Barnsley, Basildon, Basingstoke, Bath, Beaconsfield, Bedford, Belfast, Belper, Benfleet, Berkhamsted, Bicester, Billericay, Bingley, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bishop Auckland, Blackburn, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell, Bradford , Braintree, Brentwood, Bridgend, Brighouse, Brighton, Bristol, Burnley, Burton Upon Trent, Caerphilly, Camberley, Cambridge, Cannock, Cardiff, Castleford, Coalville, Caldicot, Canvey Island, Carlisle, Carrickfergus, Chatham, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chepstow, Chester, Chester-Le-Street, Chorley, Clydebank, Coatbridge, Colchester, Coleraine, Coventry, Crawley, Cumbernauld, Cwmbran, Darlington, Derby, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Dudley, Dumbarton, Dundee, Durham, Edinburgh, East Grinstead, Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Farnborough, Farnham, Fleet, Gateshead, Gerrards Cross, Gillingham, Glasgow, Gloucester, Grangemouth, Grays, Grimsby, Guildford, Halifax, Hamilton, Harlow, Harpenden, Harrogate, Hartlepool, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, High Wycombe, Hinckley, Hitchin, Houghton-Le-Spring, Horsham, Huddersfield, Hull, Ilkeston, Ipswich, Jarrow, Keighley, Kenilworth, Kirkby, Kirkintilloch, Larne, Leatherhead, Leeds, Leicester, Leigh, Leighton Buzzard, Letchworth, Lichfield, Lincoln, Lisburn, Liverpool, Livingston, London, Londonderry/Derry, Loughborough, Luton, Lytham St Annes, Macclesfield, Maidenhead, Maidstone, Manchester, Mansfield, Marlow, Merthyr Tydfil, Milton Keynes, Middlesbrough, Motherwell, Neath, Newbury, Newcastle, Newcastle Under Lyme, Newport, Newry, Newton Abbot, Newtownabbey, Newtownards, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Oldham, Omagh, Oxford, Paignton, Peterborough, Peterlee, Plymouth, Pontypool, Poole, Pontefract, Portishead, Portsmouth, Port Talbot, Preston, Ramsbottom, Rayleigh, Reading, Redcar, Redhill, Reigate, Rhyl, Richmond, Rochdale, Rochester, Rotherham, Runcorn, Sale, Sevenoaks, Sheffield, Shipley, Sittingbourne, Skelmersdale, Slough, Southampton, Southend-On-Sea, Southport, South Shields, Stevenage, St Albans, Stafford, Staines, Stockport, Stockton-On-Tees, Stoke, Sunderland, Sutton Coldfield, Swansea, Swindon, Swinton, Tamworth, Telford, Thame, Tonbridge, Torquay, Totton, Tunbridge Wells, Wakefield, Wallasey, Walsall, Walton-On-Thames, Warrington, Washington, Watford, Welwyn Garden City, Weston-Super-Mare, West Bromwich, Widnes, Wigan, Wimborne Minster, Windsor, Woking, Wolverhampton, Worksop, Wishaw, and York.

4G is also available in these airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool John Lennon, Bristol, Nottingham East Midlands, Leeds-Bradford, Belfast International, George Best Belfast City, Robin Hood, and Blackpool.

In addition, these cities have “Double Speed” 4G: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton, Sunderland, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall, West Bromwich, and Wolverhampton.

More info

Orange was owned by the massive conglomerate France Télécom before it merged with T-Mobile. Now they are collectively known as EE. However, EE operates the 4G services which Orange and T-Mobile are still providing regular 3G and 2G mobile services. Together they are the country’s largest mobile operator accounting for over a third of all subscribers in the UK.

The combination of the network infrastructure of both T-Mobile and Orange means that the coverage is probably the best in the country. Not only do they have fantastic 2G signal almost everywhere but the 3G signal is very widespread and strong too. You can verify this all for yourself by searching for your local area on the coverage map linked above.

For more information, compare Orange’s coverage with other networks’ mobile coverage or check out our complete Orange review.