Choice of mobile provider for Scotland

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eddisonj

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I'm hoping that we'll make it to Scotland this summer - up the west coast and around Cape Wrath to the Orkneys.

I understand that mobile coverage will be patchy - and my current provider (3) is going to be particularly limited. So I am planning to widen my options with a pay as you go sim from another network in a spare phone.

Does anyone have a recommendation or knowledge of if one of the networks is better than the others?

With thanks

James
 
Get a sim for
1. Vodaphone
2. 02
3. EE is catching up fast.

It might be worth having a look at each companies coverage map and seeing how it compares to your intended cruising area?
A lot of places have zero signal and I'd not plan on getting much in the way of 3G although this is available in the Firth of Lorne/ Oban area least.
 
eddisonj said:
I understand that mobile coverage will be patchy - and my current provider (3) is going to be particularly limited. So I am planning to widen my options with a pay as you go sim from another network in a spare phone.
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I have a 3 phone, and it worked pretty well as far up as Skye - or at least it worked about as well as anything else I've tried. Away from 3's own 3G coverage, 3 phones roam onto Orange 2G, so you get just as good coverage as Orange. I don't know if they roam onto the T-Mobile part of the 2G EE network, though.

I also have a cheap Tesco PAYG phone for the boat, which uses the O2 network. It seems to find about as much coverage as the 3 one, although not necessarily in the same places.
 
I have been using Three up the west coast two years running, around the islands and Oban. Three had great coverage. I did bring a Giffgaff sim as they use the O² network and while I tried it once, data was slow due to the reception so it didn't actually benefit, but it was certainly worth taking it as a backup.
 
It varies by area. Ideally if two people/phones have two different networks.

We have Vodaphone and 3 for this reason. Vodaphone possibly slightly better overall, but in outer Hebrides last summer 3 was the only one that was working. So diversity is the key
 
last time I was over in the UK. 2 years ago.
I found it almost impossible to find a public phone which actually works.
I had a lot of friends and family to visit. and make arrangements to see over a couple of months.
I bought the cheapest most basic cell phone I could find . an Orange pay as you go for 5 quid with a 20 pound card.

I traveled mostly through the west. it worked great in all the areas I visit.
Glasgow.
Argyle. Lochgilphead. Crinan. Ardfern. Oban, Fort William, Ardnamurachan Point, Malaig, Skye, Lewis. we also went to Edinburgh it even worked there.

My daughter did a lot of texting. even so we used less than half the card. It was great we could tell folks our no and they could get hold of us.
 
Robert Wilson said:
O2 works ok up here (50 miles short of Cape Wrath).
I went down to the Clyde last summer and it did me ok for the whole trip.
Not sure how well it would be if far out west. And no experience north-east of Cape Wrath, other than on land which is patchy
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Get a SIM from another EU country that offers a good roaming package. That way you will automatically find any network that has service.


My guess is France had the best deals but I will ask around.
 
I did the same trip two years ago......Troon to Kirkwall via Stromness an Westray and via Cape Wrath. I am with Tesco mobile who use O2 as their network and I cannot remember having any problems with coverage :-)
 
We've found Vodafone to be best for the area covered for all points between the Clyde and Orkney.

To be honest though, the whole point of the west coast up here is to get away from modern communications!!! Loch Moidart, no mobile, no VHF, no TV and no fm radio.....bliss until it's time to leave and your forecast is a day or two out of date!
 
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