Rural life serves up many treats, but there are also a number of challenges that people living in the city do not face. Finding a strong and reliable mobile phone signal is perhaps the most frustrating of all.

Whether using your phone to stay fit or stay in touch with friends and relatives, only the best deals will do.

The Best Rural Phone Networks UK

The great news for anyone living in rural areas is that phone companies have committed to a £1bn infrastructure upgrade, which means the quality and options should both see a dramatic increase over the next two or three years. Nonetheless, you deserve an excellent service with immediate results. The best options are as follows:

EE

EE’s 5G network won’t reach rural areas for a while yet. However, its standard 4G now covers over 99% of the UK while the faster 4G services are available in several villages too. 

Connection speeds are influenced by the handset you use and the data package you’ve selected. However, even the entry-level plans can provide 60Mbps, which ensures convenient streaming to support telephone and text services.

The network additionally offers free roaming in over 50 locations.

Vodafone

Vodafone has announced that Devauden is the first village to receive its faster 4G service as a part of the network upgrade. However, over 97% of the country receives at least standard 4G.

The Vodafone Pass additionally allows users to stream music and video without eating into their data plans while hotspots are available in several rural locations up and down the UK. The service reliability is very pleasing too.

A postcode checker is available on the Vodafone site for users to learn more.

Three

The Three network has a 91%+ UK coverage of 4G while its 4G plus 3G coverage tops out at over 97%.

Three’s data plans are among the most competitively priced on the market while users can enjoy unlimited plans or choose limited Binge services that allow for streaming that does not eat into the data. Network speeds are good, meaning very little buffering.

However, 5G services are unlikely to reach rural areas for a long time yet.

Alternatives

The O2 network is excellent, particularly if you are prepared to accept 3G as well as 4G. Meanwhile, it’s always worth checking out other companies that use the infrastructure of the companies mentioned above – BT Mobile uses EE, for example.

Tips To Secure The Best Rural Mobile Sim Deal

Whichever part of the country you live in, there are several ways to ensure that you make a wise selection regarding your phone deal. The following steps are crucial;

  • Use a Sim only deal because it’ll give you the flexibility to switch networks as the facilities in rural areas evolve.
  • Where possible, find a provider that has public hotspots you can use if your personal service is down.
  • Consider whether to choose the same provider as your home ISP.
  • Ensure that your phone handset is capable of getting a great service.

Finding a good service in rural areas is a challenge, but far more less stressful than before. If you’ve been on the same package for a while, now is the time for an upgrade.

 

Author

Founder of Paisley.org.uk in 1998 and constantly strives to change peoples attitudes to the town, Brian is a self described Paisley Digital Champion who promotes Paisley via any means necessary. You can also follow me on X