Looking for a phone or SIM plan on the EE network?
In this article, we’ve taken a look at the best EE mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in 2025, to help you decide which to join.
Later on, we’ve also explained some good things to know when buying a SIM on the EE network.
Best EE-powered mobile networks
1. 1pMobile
On balance, we think that 1pMobile is the best option for accessing the EE network at the moment, without going through EE directly.
They have a really good range of SIM-only plans to choose from, with lots of different data limits on offer, and unlimited UK calls and texts included.
And from our testing, 1pMobile offers the same super-strong coverage and speeds you’d expect as an EE network customer.
This provider also has a really good family SIM discount scheme, allowing you to save money on additional SIM cards you purchase from them.
If you only need a single SIM, you also have the choice of prepaying for a year, as another way to save on your bill.
2. spusu
spusu is quite similar to 1pMobile in some ways.
They offer really good 4G and 5G speeds and coverage, and reasonable monthly costs.
The reason we don’t rank spusu as highly is, they don’t have as many different plans on offer, and they can often be a bit more expensive than 1pMobile.
Also, we found that the process of buying and later cancelling a spusu SIM wasn’t very smooth – you have to get in touch with their customer service team to leave spusu, rather than being able to do it on the website or mobile app.
spusu supports WiFi calling and eSIMs, and we’ve found that their customer support is good – you can email or WhatsApp them if you’d prefer, instead of calling them up.
We just think, most of the time, 1pMobile is a better choice if you want to use an EE MVNO.
3. Lyca Mobile
Lyca is the third EE piggyback network that you might like to consider using.
Unlike the other two MVNOs we’ve looked at above, Lyca has pay monthly SIM deals available, on a 12 or 24 month contract.
This can help you get a lower monthly cost, but means you’ll have to lock in for a long time. If you want to cancel, you’ll need to pay quite a high termination fee.
There are pay as you go SIMs on offer as well, and Lyca Mobile also includes international minutes to certain countries on most of their plans – although this isn’t the most useful thing in the world, since most people use WhatsApp these days instead.
This network also has really strong roaming allowances, at up to 35GB of monthly usage in the EU. This is more than what both spusu and 1pMobile offer.
We think Lyca Mobile can be a great choice if you want to use EE. However, they’re not normally as cheap as 1pMobile, unless you want to lock into a long-term contract.
4. EE
Although they are expensive, you may also like to consider buying a SIM from EE directly.
With an EE SIM, you’re guaranteed the best 4G signal in the UK, and very fast 5G as well, depending on whether you get a plan with a speed limit.
Also, you won’t be faced with any hidden service restrictions or throttling that you might experience as an EE MVNO customer. However, we will say, we haven’t experienced any of these issues with 1pMobile, spusu, or Lyca Mobile.
Apart from the occasional speed limit on their tariffs, and high monthly costs, the other downside to EE is they don’t have the best range of SIM-only deals on offer, especially if you want a plan with a month-to-month contract.
EE is a better choice if you want a pay monthly phone deal – they have a huge range of handset tariffs to choose from.
What you need to know about buying an EE network SIM
In this part of the guide, we’ve explained some good things to know when shopping for a new mobile network that uses EE.
Which mobile networks use EE?
The following mobile networks piggyback off EE infrastructure:
- 1pMobile
- spusu
- Lyca Mobile
- Utility Warehouse
- Co-op Mobile
- Ecotalk
- CMLink (China Mobile International)
In most cases, we would focus on one of the first three companies if you’re looking for an EE MVNO.
The other networks on this list are mostly focused on niche use-cases (CMLink is for Chinese nationals) or are otherwise difficult to join (Co-op Mobile has strict credit checks, even on their pay as you go plans).
What are the pros of the EE network?
The main reason you’re probably looking for an EE network SIM is their coverage.
EE has the best mobile coverage of any of the big four networks at the moment. Using EE, you can often get online or make calls in areas that other carriers don’t have signal, especially in rural areas.
EE also has very good 5G coverage and speeds, and they’re making significant investments in standalone 5G, especially in major cities, which will mean their network will keep getting faster over the next five years or so.
In certain towns and smaller cities, EE often has 5G signal in areas that other networks don’t.
What are the cons of the EE network?
When buying from them directly, the main downsides of EE are:
- They’re very expensive.
- They don’t have many pay as you go SIM plans on offer.
- Many of their tariffs come with a 100 Mbps download speed limit.
You can overcome all three of these problems by choosing one of the EE MVNOs we’ve mentioned in this guide, such as 1pMobile, or spusu.
It’s also worth mentioning, while their 5G coverage is good, EE doesn’t have the fastest 5G speeds in the UK, including on their piggyback networks. This distinction is held by Three at the moment.
Vodafone and Three both tend to perform better on 5G, especially in major cities.
How other networks compare to EE
Here are the key differences between EE and the other big four mobile networks, including their MVNOs.
- Three offers faster 5G than EE, as we just mentioned. Their data plans also tend to be a lot cheaper than what EE networks provide, including when you buy from Three MVNOs like Smarty and iD Mobile. Three’s 4G coverage and speeds aren’t generally as good as what EE offers.
- Vodafone offers similar 5G speeds as EE, although they are a bit faster in some cities. Their 4G coverage is worse, but they offer cheaper data on a cost-per-gigabyte basis, especially on their MVNOs, like VOXI. Also, Vodafone’s sub-networks tend to offer more benefits and extras than EE ones do. For example, you can get unlimited social media or video streaming, separate from your data limit, as a VOXI customer.
- O2 has worse 4G and 5G than EE, but can offer cheaper prices, especially on their MVNOs, like giffgaff. Also, O2 tariffs come with much better roaming allowances than what EE offers, and their plans tend to be a lot more flexible. You can often customise the exact data limit, contract length, and upfront cost when you buy from O2 directly.
Other non-EE MVNOs worth considering
If you just want the best possible coverage, especially in rural areas, the EE MVNOs we mentioned earlier in this article are likely your best choice.
But if other factors are important, like roaming, or saving as much money as possible, there are other smaller mobile providers it’s also worth considering.
- If you want the fastest possible 5G speeds, consider a Three MVNO, like Smarty, or iD Mobile.
- If you want the cheapest possible data, take a look at giffgaff or Smarty.
- If extra benefits like data-free social media are appealing, you may be interested in a VOXI SIM plan.
- If you want a high roaming allowance in the EU, take a look at Tesco Mobile, or iD Mobile.
Conclusion
This is the end of our guide to EE MVNOs.
In general, we recommend 1pMobile in most cases if you want to join a small, cheap network that uses EE infrastructure.
spusu and Lyca Mobile are both good networks, but they can be more expensive than 1pMobile, without offering much extra in return.
If you’re still unsure which EE MVNO to pick, leave us a comment below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
About the author
Tom is the founder of Green Smartphones. You’ll find him writing about phones on the Green Smartphones blog, or talking about SIM deals and mobile networks on our YouTube channel. He’s the Android expert on the team – currently using a Google Pixel 9, recently upgrading from a very long-suffering Note 20 Ultra. When he’s not working on Green Smartphones, you’ll find him playing football or hiking.