One of the main considerations when choosing the right mobile phone network for your business will be quality of signal.

If you’re a business mobile phone user and need fast internet access then there are still differences between the networks in different parts of the country. In the East Riding of Yorkshire (Hull, Beverley, etc) where we are based, 4G coverage varies from provider to provider. Local knowledge is an important part of being a mobile phone provider, and we help our clients make the right decisions based on our personal experience as well as online network checkers.

Standard 4G mobile coverage typically has speeds five times as quick as 3G, which for some users is going to be a key difference. If you’ve got remote workers who are using their phones to access vital data – and perhaps using their phones as a mobile wifi hotspot so that they can access documents in the cloud on their laptops – then knowing whether or not the signal they will receive in specific parts of the country is an important consideration when choosing the right network for your business.

EE has traditionally been out there in front when it comes to 4G coverage – now owned by BT, EE was formed from a merger of Orange and T-Mobile and so began life with a broader coverage than its main business rivals O2 and Vodafone. Whilst in some areas the other networks have caught up, it’s still fair to say that, UK-wide, EE has the best 4G coverage. But don’t rely on general statistics alone, you need to check the specific areas where your business or remote workers are based.

A good starting point is the network’s online coverage checkers, where you can add a postcode or town/city name to see an interactive coverage map:

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/explore/network/uk-coverage-map/index.htm

http://www.o2.co.uk/coveragechecker

http://ee.co.uk/why-ee/mobile-coverage

For us here in Beverley, there is a significantly weak coverage south of the town for Vodafone, whereas EE scores well even into the remoter areas east of Hull and into Holderness.

If you’re unsure which mobile network to choose, give us a call for a chat. Of course, the other reason to choose a network is its levels of customer service – but as we’ll be here to help you every step of the way then this becomes less relevant! Why deal with a call centre when you can deal with the nice people at Simpatico?!