Will My Mobile Phone Work On The 3 Network

One of the most common questions we get from users is "Will this mobile phone work on the 3 mobile network?" and as it’s so common that we thought we would write this handy guide on buying a new sim free phone for use with 3 / Three so hopefully you can find a new mobile phone without the worry of it not working when you get it home.

First lets clear the air on why the 3 / Three mobile network doesn't work with all mobile phone handsets. All of the big mobile network providers in the UK 02, T-Mobile, Orange etc work on GSM or 2G networks, the way mobile phones and satellite phones have been working for many years. When 3 entered the mobile operator market they decided to launch with the new emerging technology 3G which allows for much higher speed data transfer than 2G, which is the reason why you can make video calls on 3 and have higher speed internet connections on your mobile phone.

As 3 works only on the 3G network then only mobile phones that are 3G enabled will be able to receive the 3 mobile networks coverage. So if you want to find a mobile phone that will work on 3 browse the range of sim free mobile phones on the Shop.co.uk website, look at the mobile phones description, every mobile phone on the Shop.co.uk website will have its technical specifications listed, 3G coverage for that mobile phone will be listed if it is 3G enabled.

As soon as you view a mobile phone product page you should be able to find if the phone is 3G enabled in seconds.

When 3 launched their service only a limited number of mobile phone manufacturers produced 3G enabled mobile phones, but now a few years down the line the majority of mobile phones now come with 3G and you can buy a 3G enabled sim free mobile phone on Shop.co.uk for under £100.

Browse for Sim Free Mobile Phones

Mobile Phone Term Explanation

Sim Free Mobile Phones - A sim free mobile phone is a mobile phone that has been made to work for any mobile network operator, meaning that there is no mobile operator branding, software or features have been added to the mobile phone.

Unlocked - An unlocked mobile phone is similar to a sim free phone however unlocked normally means that a mobile phone which was purchased from a mobile phone operator has had its sim card restrictions removed, meaning that the phone will possibly have a mobile operators branding, software and features on the mobile phone.