Recommendation for data SIM in UK

[wisniak]

Thank you for the info.

I'm a bit hesitant about SIM cards that have been cut manually. I know that it works, I've used myself while on a trip to Spain (I cut the SIM into a microsim in front of the astounded sales person).
But inasmuch as possible - I prefer an original microsim.

So I'll look in eBay.uk for other providers SIM cards.
It'll probably cost me more than purchasing one on the ground in the UK, but on the other hand it'll save me the hassle of location a store, waiting for it to open, etc etc.

So given this, which provider would you recommend? Again, I'll only be in London and the south.

I'll have my iPad 2, which is pretty data-hungry, so I'll want a good 3G coverage.

Thank you.

[NFH]

Originally Posted by wisniak

So given this, which provider would you recommend? Again, I'll only be in London and the south.

As I said before I suggested GiffGaff, O2 may be your best bet.

With regard to coverage, it's worth understanding the frequencies of each network:

• Vodafone - 900, 1800 & 2100
• O2 - 900, 1800 & 2100
• Orange - 1800 & 2100
• T-Mobile - 1800 & 2100
• Three - 2100

Lower frequencies penetrate buildings much better, so Vodafone and O2 have a slight advantage. However, Orange and T-Mobile recently merged and you can now roam between both networks free of charge, meaning you get two networks' coverage as a customer of just one network. Consequently coverage on these two is arguably better now than Vodafone or O2. Avoid Three, which only has 3G coverage; everyone I know on Three complains about coverage and lack of signal.

[wco81]

Originally Posted by NFH

As I said before I suggested GiffGaff, O2 may be your best bet.

With regard to coverage, it's worth understanding the frequencies of each network:

• Vodafone - 900, 1800 & 2100
• O2 - 900, 1800 & 2100
• Orange - 1800 & 2100
• T-Mobile - 1800 & 2100
• Three - 2100

Lower frequencies penetrate buildings much better, so Vodafone and O2 have a slight advantage. However, Orange and T-Mobile recently merged and you can now roam between both networks free of charge, meaning you get two networks' coverage as a customer of just one network. Consequently coverage on these two is arguably better now than Vodafone or O2. Avoid Three, which only has 3G coverage; everyone I know on Three complains about coverage and lack of signal.

Based on this, I joined giffgaff and PM'd a member to see if he'd ship a SIM to me in the US. Hoping the O2 network is good.

Otherwise, I guess I'd look for T-Mobile or Three when I arrive in London.