Do England And Ireland Have The Same Cell Phone Services

Reading fourth dimension: 5-7 minutes

Updated January 2021

Then you've booked your flights and hotels, you lot've created a list of the "must see" tourist attractions in London and yous've downloaded the best U.k. travel apps to your cell telephone. But will your cell phone work in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland?

If you've been doing research online most whether your cell phone will piece of work in the UK, we're guessing yous're probably dislocated by now, correct? There's lots of conflicting data and it seems very complicated.

Really it'southward very uncomplicated. Nosotros've worked it all out and we're going to make information technology super easy for you and explain it all in plain English, that even the nearly technophobe will understand!

In this handy guide, nosotros'll aid you lot understand whether your jail cell phone will work when you accomplish the U.k. (i.e., whether information technology operates on the right network frequencies) so that you can keep a seamless connection on your vacation in London. And we'll tell yous most a great value UK SIM Card you tin buy here in the USA (shipped to your home or office) to use in your cell telephone, so you're connected equally shortly every bit you land. And then let's become to it!

[If you've already done the research and you but desire to purchase a U.k. & Europe SIM Card for your jail cell telephone and get it shipped to your home or function, yous tin but click hither and purchase it at present for the express reduced price of just $39.99 (unremarkably $49.95).]

Here'southward a quick summary

There's only three things to cheque to make sure that your cell phone volition work in the Great britain:

1. Is your cell phone technically compatible? ; and

2. Is your cell phone network unlocked? ; and

3. Do you take the correct Uk SIM Carte du jour?

1. Is your prison cell phone technically uniform?

Get-go upwards, your prison cell phone needs to be technically compatible to piece of work in the Great britain.

Only what does "technically compatible" even mean?

Well it ways that your phone is able to operate on the cellular frequencies used in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. Different countries use different cellular frequencies for their mobile phone networks. These frequencies are what your phone uses to connect to the prison cell towers for your vocalization calls, texts and data (think of it like the same type of signal that your Television or radio uses to receive broadcasts). If your telephone doesn't operate on the right cellular frequencies used in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland then information technology won't be technically compatible and it won't work in the UK (this means no calls, no texts, no 4G LTE data).

Today most Smartphones are considered "world phones", meaning they operate on many dissimilar cellular frequencies used by dissimilar cellular networks around the world. It wasn't that long ago that your cell telephone might have only operated on 1 or two cellular frequencies which meant you could merely utilize your phone on i American network, allow alone having any promise of using it in a foreign country!

The good news is that all iPhones (including the newest iPhone xi and all earlier models) are technically compatible (information technology doesn't thing where you bought your iPhone — from Apple, AT&T, T-Mobile, Dart, Verizon or anywhere else). Andmost other Smartphones are technically compatible every bit well such as, simply non limited to, Samsung Galaxy S10, Samsung Galaxy S19, Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Google Pixel 3, Honor View 20, OnePlus 6T, Huawei P30 Pro, LG V40 ThinQ HTC + many other recent model Smartphones. This list is Not exhaustive – these are NOT the only phones that are technically uniform – nosotros've listed just SOME of the near popular that are compatible.

If you desire to bank check that your Smartphone is technically compatible to utilize in the U.k. there's a bang-up website where you can practise this: just use the search feature at the Will My Phone Piece of work website and select your brand of phone (eg Samsung) and then select the "model", and so the "sub model" and so select "Uk" as the state, so select "3" from the carrier list. Yous'll then see the results about whether your telephone is technically uniform: if it is then that's awesome because it means your phone will work in the UK. Another manner to check if your phone is technically compatible is to look at your phone's specifications and confirm it operates on the cellular frequencies used in the UK: 4G/LTE Band 20(800MHz) and 4G/LTE Band 3(1800MHz), or, on 3G UMTS Band 1(2100MHz).

Once yous've confirmed that your cell telephone is technically compatible, the next step is to check information technology's network unlocked. Remember: if you have an iPhone you lot don't need to check information technology's technically compatible because all iPhones are technically compatible to utilise in the Britain.

2. Is your cell phone network unlocked?

So your cell telephone is technically compatible? Awesome! The second matter you lot need to check is that information technology's network unlocked .

But what does "network unlocked" mean? Good question!

Start, a chip of background. Many prison cell phones are network locked. This means they're restricted to work only on one single network. Non but is a locked phone prevented from working overseas, it won't even work on a competing network hither in the United states. For example, if your phone is locked to AT&T, it won't work on T-Mobile (or Verizon, or Dart, or any other network).

But why would a jail cell phone exist network locked? Well, equally y'all would know, many cell phones are sold on a contract basis, heavily subsidised by the carrier. The full price for your telephone might be $1,000, merely your carrier sells it to y'all for $99, and then puts you on a 12 or 24 month contract and "locks" the phone to the carrier's network. And this is off-white, because the carrier has given y'all a heavily discounted phone, and needs you lot to stay with them regularly paying a monthly bill for their services (just equally the saying goes, there'southward no such thing as a gratuitous luncheon!).

In contrast, if your phone is network unlocked and then you can utilize it on another network. It's effectively been let of jail, and tin can be used on another network (either domestic or international). Information technology's worth noting that your phone may already be unlocked. Some phones are sold already unlocked (sometimes called "SIM free"), meaning yous're free to apply whatever SIM Card you want.

In any case, you lot'll need to make certain your telephone is network unlocked to use information technology in the UK, but in that location's a super piece of cake to way to bank check! If your phone's locked to your home network, it won't piece of work in the UK (and information technology won't work on whatever other network anywhere in the earth). The super easy manner to cheque if your phone is already network unlocked is to insert a unlike carrier'southward SIM Card into your phone and bank check if it connects to the network. For example, suppose you lot have an AT&T phone, and then simply grab a friend's T-Mobile SIM Card (or catch one from a T-Mobile store), put it into your phone and check if it connects to the T-Mobile network (ie do you see the T-Mobile reception bars on your phone screen?). If and then so your phone is unlocked! If you see an error message it means it's notwithstanding locked to AT&T.

If your telephone is network locked, then you lot'll need to get it unlocked and here's what to practice: contact your telephone provider or click on these handy links to unlock your AT&T Device, T-Mobile Device or Verizon Device. If you take an iPhone, then the Apple website provides instructions on how to unlock your iPhone.

3. Do y'all take the correct UK SIM Carte du jour?

And so your phone is technically compatible and it's network unlocked? Super awesome! This means you lot can utilise your phone in the Great britain on your upcoming vacation and you tin now buy a UK SIM Carte du jour, rather than relying on expensive international roaming (which is often limited to really slow 2G speeds anyhow). To purchase a UK and Europe SIM Card merely become to the My Great britain SIM Card website pay just $39.99 for 12GB of high speed 4G LTE data and unlimited talk & text, and get it shipped to your habitation or office. Then just pop it into your phone so everything's expert to go from the moment your aeroplane lands in the Great britain.

In that location'due south three main reasons why it makes sense to purchase a UK and Europe SIM Card:

First , you'll go a much more generous allowance of information (in fact you'll get a huge 12GB of high speed information). And you'll need lots of data to update Facebook and Instagram, send pictures and videos on Whatsapp, use Skype or FaceTime or navigate your way in London using Google Maps.

2d , you'll go an allowance of minutes and texts to call and text local numbers. For example, calling for a taxi, booking a restaurant, calling your airline to check your reservation or updating Uber with your new number.

Tertiary , and we think the almost important, is that yous'll take a local jail cell number. Whilst global roaming has its benefits, you'll still be using your United states jail cell number, which can be a burden if you need bout operators, hotels or people you meet on your vacation, to phone call or text you. A good example is using Uber – a local SIM card means a local cell number. Y'all tin can update your Uber contour with your UK prison cell number and that way your Uber bulldoze can call and text you (or vice versa). Endeavor getting a London Uber driver to call your US cell number: no way!

The all-time local SIM carte offering is from My Great britain SIM Card. You'll get a local United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland cell number, 12GB of high speed 4G LTE data and unlimited talk & text. And if yous're traveling to Europe too at that place'southward free roaming significant you can use your allowances in 34 European countries including France, Italy, Ireland and Spain. There's no overage charges, no contracts and it's 100% pre-paid.