Advisory note Index
Index of all notes
The complete index, arranged by operator and by subject.
Independent status. fernwick is an independent guidance and information service. We are not a mobile network. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, appointed by or connected to Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile or any other provider, and we hold no commercial arrangement with any of them. We do not sell, supply, arrange or broker SIM cards, contracts, handsets or services of any kind, and we take no commission. Everything published here is general information and must not be relied upon in place of the provider's own current terms.
Our position in one line
Nineteen advisory notes covering every operator serving the United Kingdom and every stage from choosing a network to closing an account.
§1Operator notes
One note for each provider, all following the same eleven-section anatomy so that any two may be compared directly.
AN-01
ThreeOpened 2003 · half of VodafoneThree · cheapest unlimited among the owners
AN-02EEFormed 2010 · BT Group · broadest footprint and the lead on standalone 5G
AN-03O2Named 2002 · Virgin Media O2 · Europe still included on standard plans
AN-04VodafoneLong established · half of VodafoneThree · a distinct national estate
AN-05Sky MobileBegan 2016 · no masts of its own · banked allowances and monthly resizing
AN-06Tesco MobileSupermarket-backed on O2's masts · loyalty-linked pricing · strong service record
AN-07Wholesale brandsgiffgaff, SMARTY, iD Mobile, VOXI, Lebara and 1pMobile
Not sure which note applies to you?
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020 3896 5248This line is for guidance and information only. We sell nothing, arrange nothing and act for no provider. If anything on this page is unclear, telephone and we will explain it.
§2Subject notes
Twelve notes covering how service is bought, what it costs, and how it is joined and ended.
AN-08
SIM plansFour shapes, sizing from evidence, and the free protections nobody uses
AN-09Phone contractsThe single sum that settles any handset proposal
AN-10Pay as you goPrepaid credit, expiry conditions, and when a monthly plan wins
AN-11Monthly billsWhich of the figures you are shown is actually the price
AN-12Price changesHow a bill rises, and the five deliberate ways it falls
AN-13JoiningCoverage first, price last — and four things on day one
AN-14LeavingTwo free texts, thirty days, and what a provider may not do
AN-15CoverageWhat maps show, why indoors differs, and how to test properly
AN-16RoamingWho still includes Europe, and five minutes before you fly
AN-17eSIMFree to issue and transfer — and surrounded by invented fees
AN-18Market historyFour owners, a dozen brands, and the generations that changed
AN-19Terms explainedThe vocabulary, in plain words
Speak to the advisory
Telephone the advisory and we will talk it through. There is nothing to buy at any point.
020 3896 5248This line is for guidance and information only. We sell nothing, arrange nothing and act for no provider. If anything on this page is unclear, telephone and we will explain it.
Independent status. fernwick is an independent guidance and information service. We are not a mobile network. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, appointed by or connected to Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile or any other provider, and we hold no commercial arrangement with any of them. We do not sell, supply, arrange or broker SIM cards, contracts, handsets or services of any kind, and we take no commission. Everything published here is general information and must not be relied upon in place of the provider's own current terms.