01
Coverage checker
Enter any UK postcode to instantly see ranked coverage scores for EE, Vodafone, Three and O2 — covering 5G, 4G and 3G across more than 1.8 million postcodes.
About NetScan UK
A free, open-source utility that finds the best mobile network operator for any UK postcode — using transparent methodology backed by official Ofcom data.
What is NetScan UK?
02
Deal finder
Once the best operator for your area is identified, NetScan UK surfaces current phone contract deals from that operator so you can compare monthly cost, data allowance and handset options.
03
Free & open source
No registration. No tracking cookies. Nothing behind a paywall. The source code is available for review. Analytics are privacy-first via Plausible — no personal data is collected.
Some links to networks are affiliate links and may earn us a commission. The coverage ranking is produced from Ofcom data before any of that is applied — which network comes first is never for sale.
04
UK-only focus
NetScan UK focuses exclusively on Great Britain and Northern Ireland, using UK-specific Ofcom data and the four UK-licensed mobile network operators: EE, Vodafone, Three and O2.
Coverage Score Methodology
NetScan UK does not conduct its own signal measurements. Coverage scores are derived entirely from the Ofcom Mobile Coverage API, the UK's most comprehensive independent assessment of mobile network coverage. Published annually by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, it reports the percentage of premises (homes and businesses) with indoor and outdoor signal coverage at each network generation.
5G Coverage
50%
The share of sampled addresses where Ofcom records enhanced outdoor signal — its top rating, and the closest thing in the dataset to a 5G indicator.
4G Coverage
35%
4G remains the backbone of UK mobile data. Still the primary connection in many rural and suburban areas where 5G infrastructure has not yet been deployed.
3G / Voice
15%
Basic voice and messaging coverage. Lower weighting because 3G is being progressively sunset by UK operators, but still relevant for reliability in marginal coverage zones.
FORMULA
score = (5G-grade% × 0.35) + (4G% × 0.50) + (indoor% × 0.15)
Scores are percentages of the addresses Ofcom returned for the sampled postcodes, so they are already on a 0–100 scale. Nothing is smoothed, weighted by population or adjusted afterwards. Where Ofcom publishes no data for a district, the page falls back to a NetScan model built from Ofcom's national and urban/rural figures — and it tells you it has done so, on the page and in its structured data. A modelled number is never presented as a measurement.
Data Source & Attribution
SOURCE
Ofcom Mobile Coverage API
The machine-readable side of Connected Nations, published by the Office of Communications (Ofcom), the UK's independent regulator for the communications industry. It returns address-level indoor and outdoor ratings for all four UK mobile network operators. NetScan samples six postcodes in each postcode district and pools every address Ofcom returns for them; each coverage page prints the vintage of the data it used and how many addresses were behind it.
UPDATE CYCLE
Monthly rebuild
NetScan rebuilds its whole coverage dataset from the Ofcom API once a month, so a page reflects Ofcom's current figures rather than a snapshot taken whenever the site was last deployed. Ofcom itself refreshes the underlying measurements roughly annually. The vintage actually in use is printed on each coverage page, not just in the footer.
OPERATORS
Four UK MNOs
NetScan UK covers the four UK Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) licensed by Ofcom: EE (BT Group), Vodafone, Three (Hutchison 3G) and O2 (Virgin Media O2). MVNOs (e.g. giffgaff, Tesco Mobile, iD Mobile) use the same underlying networks and are not separately listed.
LIMITATION
Sampled addresses vs. your address
Ofcom's ratings are periodic measurements at sampled addresses, not a live signal reading, and a district figure is an average across the addresses sampled in it. In-building penetration, local topology and device type all change what you actually get. Where Ofcom publishes nothing for a district, NetScan shows a clearly-labelled estimate instead of a measurement. Verify with your operator's own checker, or a cheap PAYG SIM, before signing a contract.
Transparency & Trust
No advertising
NetScan UK carries no display advertising. Operators cannot pay to influence coverage rankings. Results are based solely on Ofcom data and the published scoring formula.
Privacy-first analytics
Site analytics are collected via Plausible, a GDPR-compliant, cookie-free analytics platform. No personal data, no fingerprinting, no cross-site tracking.
Open source
The entire scoring engine and server code are open source. You can inspect the formula, the data pipeline and the template rendering logic.
No registration required
No account. No email. No cookies required to use the coverage checker. Your postcode lookup is not stored or logged. NetScan UK is designed to be the fastest, most frictionless coverage tool available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1
Where does the coverage data come from?
From Ofcom's Mobile Coverage API — the machine-readable side of Connected Nations, the UK regulator's own measurement programme. Every page states the vintage of the Ofcom data behind it and how many addresses were sampled. For the minority of districts Ofcom publishes nothing for, the page shows a clearly-labelled NetScan estimate instead.
Q2
How is the coverage score calculated?
Score = (5G-grade% × 0.35) + (4G% × 0.50) + (indoor% × 0.15), on a 0–100 scale. The highest-scoring operator is ranked first — but where all four land within five points of each other, which is most of urban Britain, the page says no network wins rather than inventing a ranking out of measurement noise.
Q3
Is the data real-time?
No. Ofcom's figures are periodic measurements, not a live feed, and the vintage is printed on every coverage page. Real-world signal also varies with buildings, terrain and device. Verify with your operator, or a cheap PAYG SIM, before committing to a contract.
Q4
Can I use this data in my own project?
The source code is MIT-licensed. Coverage data originates from Ofcom under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Attribution to Ofcom Connected Nations 2024 is required if you republish derived coverage data.
Data Analysis & Methodology
NetScan UK coverage scores are researched, modelled and maintained by Cezary Makulec, Senior Data Analyst & Coverage Intelligence Specialist. Methodology is independently verified against Ofcom Connected Nations premises data published by the UK's independent communications regulator.
Coverage data sourced from official Ofcom Connected Nations 2024 dataset releases. Coverage metrics verified and updated for 2026. Analysis cross-referenced with operator-published network footprint data from EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three.