Best phone network for Highlands & Islands

Wind Dancer

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There have been a lot of members up there recently, and I'm wondering what network has been the most efficient.
Years ago it seemed to be only O2 and people were getting sim cards to use when their other network failed. Is this still the case, or have any of the other networks caught up?
 
I use EE and my wife Vodafone on our mobile phones and I use a 3 data only sim in my iPad (deliberate policy on our part to ensure we have a choice of networks). We travel fairly extensively in the Highlands and Islands and I reckon that Vodafone coverage is marginally better than EE, although both are pretty good throughout the area, with 3 not giving such good coverage, especially in the isolated areas.
Tony
 
A have o2, EE, and vodaphone. EE is by far the best and even giving good 3G in places you would least expect it. Vodaphone slightly better than o2.
 
Emergency calls

Don't forget you can make an emergency call on any network, regardless of your provider.
I'm not recommending you ask them to put you through to your 'Aunt Doris' to discuss the views, just making sure you are aware you don't need to cover all providers for emergency situations.
 
I've been on 3 for years , I live in Edinburgh . Just got back from a few weeks on the east coast and had a pretty good signal all the time. I noticed the signal was good up to about 15 to 30 miles inland and that most of the A90,96 was covered. Ive sat on the beach on Sanday (Orkneys) and watched iplayer , yet found the highlands not so good.

I use this app Network Signal Info - Android Apps on Google Play quite a lot to look for the signal. A lot of masts are marked on OS maps now too , and I've often looked for one before parking for the night.
 
well found on Skye no signal unless you parked under the mast at staffin and other places o2 and Vodafone both had their down places
 
Three usually works well.Sometimes we have to wait till we go to a small town for a signal,but we have had good signal in remote areas.
 
When we were up in NW Scotland my phone was on EE and mrs wakk on 3.Invariably EE was the stronger of the two networks.Although there was a couple of remote places surrounded by mountains where there was no phone,digital tv or satellite tv and the only communication was through the local hotels' landline.
 
What I can say is 3 mobile customer service is dreadful.

Vodafone are a bunch of robbers.
 
we've found vodaphone marginally better than the rest ( we have ee, 3 and o2) but in the wilds there's usually nothing.
 
3 rubbish on west coast

There is a massive lack of 3 coverage on the west, N of Applecross in particular. A cafe owner told us it is the worst network for Scotland. Unfortunately both phones and mifi are with them. We had days of no coverage.
 
I'm on EE and had very poor coverage in the north east and northern islands recently. I used my first phone box in about 20 years, on Shetland. :)
I am ready to upgrade now and wanted to know the best network to take my contract with, but it looks like I might as well stay with EE.

For the most part I didn't mind the phone not working at all, but occasionally it was a nuisance so I think I'll take the precaution and get spare sim cards for the future.

Thanks for your contributions and advice which have helped me decide.

:camper::dog::dog:
 
Private said:
Don't forget you can make an emergency call on any network, regardless of your provider.
I'm not recommending you ask them to put you through to your 'Aunt Doris' to discuss the views, just making sure you are aware you don't need to cover all providers for emergency situations.
Click to expand...

Luckily I've not had to use that service, but I have wondered how it works. Do you just dial 999........and how does it connect?
 
I think a lot also has to do with what phone you have.

Both me and the wife have Samsung Galaxy S4 phones and are on the Three network, recently in Scotland we both had a good strong 3G signal were as another
motorhomer stood next to me on the same car park had no signal at all on his iPhone 4 also on the Three network :rolleyes2:

I let him use my phone as he had an important call to make.
 
Yes, just dial

Wind Dancer said:
Luckily I've not had to use that service, but I have wondered how it works. Do you just dial 999........and how does it connect?
Click to expand...

As far as I am aware (without having actually used the service) you just dial 999 & the call will go through without a connection showing.
It is part of the GSM standard that a 'phone will recognise an emergency number & will therefore try connect to any available network to put the call through.
It used to be the case that even without a SIM card you could make an emergency call but now calls made without a SIM ID are blocked due to abuse.
You can still make a call if there is no credit available, provided a SIM is in the 'phone.

Most 'phones allow you to manually select your provider. This is useful if you have a favourite place & want to check whose signal is available in that area. You won't be able to connect to any unless you have a contract with them, but a list of available networks will appear.
I used this in France this year to manually connect to the best 3G signal available, which was sometimes not the one the 'phone chose on its automatic setting. This can be done when roaming as the provider will have agreements with multiple other network providers to supply you whilst roaming. At home your network provider won't allow you on anybody else's network but their own. This is why a foreign SIM gets you better coverage over here & we get better coverage 'over there'.
 
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