There are four network operators in the UK providing mobile services. These are T-Mobile (One2one), Vodafone, O2 (Cellnet), and Orange. Each network provides UK wide coverage including Northern Ireland but services can vary depending upon your actual location. Hence you should first check with the network operator to ensure they provide adequate In-building coverage to your area. Coverage levels vary from area to area and to make a good quality call from inside your house requires In-building coverage. Some areas may have Outdoor coverage and this means that you will be able to make a call from your car or outdoors but calls from inside a building will not be of good quality. You can compare regional performance of each network by checking the survey report published by Oftel. For further information on this report go to the UK Network Performance section.

• Find out if you have good coverage in your area (Network operator or their Dealer shops can help)
• Compare network performances in your region using the report published by Oftel.
• Check with your friends and families to find out which network they are connected with because call charges to other networks can be higher. This will also give you a chance to hear their views about the network they are using and the type of problem they've had (if any)
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There are so many different tariff's offered by each network and therefore it is difficult to decide which one best suits your needs. Do you go for pre-paid or post-paid service? The choice will significantly affect the call rates and the level of service you receive.

Pre-paid service offers freedom to control your monthly bill as there are no monthly bills. You basically pay for the service before you use it. However this comes at the expense of higher call charges and minimum service level support from the network operator. The mobile handsets are not subsidised hence the cost's are higher.

Post-paid requires you to sign a contract with the network operator which usually comes with a minimum one year agreement. However the cost of the handset is subsidised and the call rates are lower. It is necessary for the network operator to check your credit history prior to offering this service. Hence make sure that you have good credit records, otherwise you will be refused this service. This type of service comes with a monthly line rental and your bill is usually taken by direct debit (most operators will not offer this service unless you pay by direct debit).

• Decide on how much you can afford to spend on your monthly phone bill and what you are prepared to pay initially for the handset cost.
• How frequently are you likely to use your mobile? Will it be for emergency use only or are you likely to be calling every hour.
• Estimate your monthly usage. Post-pay services offer more freetime or discounted call rates for higher monthly line rental. This can lead to lower overall monthly bill. Where as Pre-pay can be very expensive for high usage callers because of the call rates usually being higher.
• Decide whether to have Pre-paid or Post-paid type services. This will narrow the options available (in particular for pre-paid).
• Find out which network most of your friends and families are connected with. Higher call charges apply to calls made to other networks on most tariffs however certain tariffs offer low rates for such calls.
• When are you likely to make most of your calls (ie. day time, evening, weekend etc.)? Call rates vary between different times of the day or week.
• Obtain details of different tariffs from the network operator. This should include all the call charges and discounted call rates.
• Based on your assumptions for monthly usage determine estimate for your monthly bill using call rates provided for each tariff. (Use only your most frequent time for making calls such as evening, in the calculation).
• Compare each tariff against cost, benefits and service level support (such as upgrade terms, Global roaming activation etc.) to determine the right package for you.
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Choosing the mobile handset mainly depends on the Network operator and tariff you have selected as each operator only offers their particular range of approved mobiles. Pre-paid tariffs usually have a limited range of mobiles compared to Post-pay tariffs. Once you know which mobiles are available to you, then you can compare them based on price, functionality, performance and style.

• Determine how much you want to spend on your mobile.
• Obtain details of each mobile available with the network and tariff you have selected.
• Pick only mobiles that fall within your price range.
• List all functionalities you require (ie. WAP, SMS, Voice Dialling, fax etc.)
• Pick only mobiles that offer the functionalities you require.
• Compare battery performance (ie. Talk time, Standby time and re-charge time).
• Pick three (or lower if less than 3) mobiles offering the highest talktime & standby time and the lowest re-charge time.
• Select the mobile that suits your taste.
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