You should contact your mobile phone network or service provider before you leave your home country to establish whether your mobile will work in the UK. Most mobile phone networks in the UK use GSM 900, so if you already own a dual/triple band phone you can just buy a new sim card for your phone.
If, however, your mobile phone is not able to work in the UK, you may wish to purchase one. A number of packages are available:
- Pay-monthly plans: you sign a contract (make an agreement) with a mobile phone network or a service provider and agree to use the network's service for a minimum period, usually 12 months. You choose a tariff (a fee structure) from a range of choices offered by the network. The network or service provider bills you monthly for your calls and services.
- Pre-paid plans: you sign a contract with a network or a service provider and pay for a minimum of 12 months service in advance, at a cheaper rate than for monthly plans. If you use the phone more than the agreed amount, the network or service provider bills you monthly for the extra time/calls.
- Pay-as-you-go plans: this option allows you to budget the use and, therefore, the cost of your phone. You buy credit (talking time) in advance, either direct from the network or in the form of vouchers. You use the phone until the credit runs out, and then you buy more credit. No contracts or bills are involved.
There are hundreds of different tariffs available. For example, one tariff might have low rates for calls made during the day and higher rates in the evening, and another might have the reverse. The cost of phones also varies widely. If you buy a phone when you sign up for a plan, your network will subsidise the cost of the phone, so you will not have to pay the full price. The subsidies vary from network to network and from plan to plan. So shop around until you find the combination of plan, tariff and phone cost that best meets your needs. Some networks require credit checks before you can get a monthly or pre-paid plan. If you do not have a credit history in the UK, you might not be able to sign up for these plans. Shop staff will be able to give you advice.
The major mobile network providers for the UK are: 3, O2, BT Mobile, Orange, T Mobile, Virgin Media and Vodafone. Some shops that sell mobile phones and services are: The Carphone Warehouse, The Link, Phones 4 U and direct from the network providers.