Buying a mobile phone? Start here!

Before buying a mobile phone, please read the pages in this section. They are intended to help you make the choice that is right for you.

Existing User?

If you already have a mobile phone, you can switch to a different network and take your phone number with you, although you may need a different handset. See the Number Portability page for details. You could get a sim-only connection with a new number, using your existing handset. See the Costs page for more information.

Networks

O2, Vodafone, Orange and T-mobile are networks. They supply the service, not the phone. Each network is basically a collection of radio towers all over the country, linked together and transmitting people's conversations. There are details in the How It Works section, but read on here first!

There are also "virtual networks", which use one of the existing networks infrastructure, but sell under a different brand. For example, Virgin mobile and Value Telecom use T-mobile, OneTel uses Vodafone, NTL Mobile uses Orange and Sainsbury's uses O2. 3 has its own UMTS network, but until that has full coverage, they "borrow" from O2 to fill in coverage holes.

Strictly speaking, you don't have "a Vodafone". You have a Nokia or Motorola or Ericsson (or whatever) connected to Vodafone, O2 etc. Similar models are available on each network, sometimes under the network's brand name.

Who does what?

You buy your phone from the retailer (MobileShop, of course!) and have a contract with a Service Provider, who does the billing and customer service on behalf of the network (but doesn't provide the service!).

You can "sign up" direct with a network, and this is the only way that some networks work. You don't put pen to paper for most mobile phone contracts nowadays, but they are still legally binding.

Choose your network

The network should be the first thing you choose when you're starting out. Your choice of network will decide where you get good coverage, and how good the customer service is. Some networks have better coverage in particular areas than others, but customer service varies from day to day, depending on demand.

The networks all offer different features, and although none are vital, some are nice to have. See the Networks page of this section for a brief overview.

Prepay or Contract?

Next, decide whether you want a pay as you go phone or a traditional contract arrangement:

• Pre-pay, where you pay (usually by buying vouchers) before you make calls. No risk of a bill, but sometimes this is an expensive option, and adding vouchers can be inconvenient.
• Contract - where you get a bill each month, but the call charges are usually lower, and there are more facilities offered.

But it isn't as easy as that! Some Pay As You Go have monthly line rental to pay or topups that only last a month, even if you don't use the minutes you paid for. Some contract tariffs have no standing charges, and some offer free calls with no line rental for an up-front payment.

T-mobile offer 'Mix-it' where you pay the normal monthly line rental and get inclusive calls, but any additional (non-inclusive) calls have to come out of pre-paid top-ups. This is a rather good idea! Visit the Costs section for more details of the tariffs offered by the networks.

Choose your tariff

Generally, paying higher line rental gets you cheaper call charges. See the Costs section for more details.

Before you commit yourself, check whether you can change tariffs later. Your usage may change. At first you may make many calls checking out the phone and its capabilities (or you may take time to get used to using it). You may find it far more useful than you expected.

When you buy a phone, it is subsidised by the network or service provider. The higher the tariff, the bigger the subsidy. If you switch to a lower tariff within 3 or 4 months, the dealer may suffere a "clawback" where that subsidy is withdrawn. The dealer will probably recover this loss from you. This means that although you can switch tariffs early on, it may not be in your financial interests to do it!

Choosing the phone

There are lots of different phones to choose between. Read the Handsets section before deciding.

Insuring it

Because it is subsidised by the service Provider when you sign a contract, the phone is worth more than you paid for it: if it is damaged, lost or stolen, the replacement cost will be higher. Consider the insurance position carefully. See the Insurance page in the Security section for more details.

Buying

Once you have seen all the information here, and decided what you want, find a good retailer. Here's a hint: MobileShop offers excellent value, superb service, and provided you with this information!

Contents

Other pages in this section:

Networks This is a one-page overview of the mobile phone networks in the UK, and there is a page about each of the major networks. Pitfalls What to watch out for when buying a mobile phone. The snags, difficulties and rogues to beware of! Special Need If you have hearing or visual impairment, or need a mobile phone for a special purpose, this page gives you some pointers.

Number Portability If you already have a mobile phone, the inconvenience of changing your mobile number can be a real deterrent to switching to a different mobile network, and if you have advertising or business cards or letterheads with your mobile number, a considerable cost. Luckily, you can take your mobile number with you to another network. See the Number Portability page for details. Alternatives Do you really need a mobile phone? This page helps you decide.

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