Phones

What network does Sky Mobile use?

woman holding iPhone during daytime
Virtual network: find out which network Sky Mobile runs on

Sky Mobile is what’s known as an MVNO or mobile virtual network operator. That means it doesn’t have its own phone masts, but piggybacks on another network. But what network does Sky Mobile use? We’ll reveal all.

The Sky Mobile network

Sky Mobile runs on the O2 network. O2 has recently merged with Virgin Media, which is a direct competitor to Sky, but that doesn’t seem to have affected the deal for the time being.

You’re most likely to be offered Sky Mobile if you’re a Sky TV customer, but you don’t need to have a satellite dish strapped to the side of your house to sign up for Sky Mobile. Indeed, Sky Mobile offers a range of SIM-only deals that can get you up and running on the network almost immediately, although you should note that most of its deals come with a one-year contract.

At the time of writing (November 2021), the company was offering 50GB of data and unlimited UK calls and texts for £25 per month. Sky Mobile also has a nice feature where data you don’t use in one month is automatically rolled over to the next, for up to three years!

How do I check Sky Mobile coverage?

You can click here for the Sky Mobile coverage checker.

As with all of these coverage checker maps, I’d take the results with a hefty pinch of salt. It’s often far better to ask neighbours how they find coverage on Sky Mobile/O2 if you want a true picture of what it’s like in your immediate neighbourhood.

Does Sky Mobile offer 5G?

Yes, it does. There’s no extra charge for 5G, but you will need a 5G compatible phone. You can check 5G coverage using the link posted above, but you’ll probably only find it in the major cities at the time of writing.

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About the author

Barry Collins

Barry has scribbled about tech for almost 20 years for The Sunday Times, PC Pro, WebUser, Which? and many others. He was once Deputy Editor of Mail Online and remains in therapy to this day. Email Barry at barry@bigtechquestion.com.

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