Comparing EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three across 5G · 4G · 3G for the Durham (DH) postcode area. Use the scanner below to check your exact postcode.
Ofcom measures EE, O2, Three and Vodafone within 2 points in Durham (DH), so no network wins here on coverage. Pick on price — then check your own postcode, because indoor signal still varies street by street.
No network wins Durham on coverage. All four are within 2 points of each other in Ofcom's measurements, across 972 addresses sampled in 52 postcodes. On a difference that small, EE, O2, Three and Vodafone will all work here — so choose on price, contract length and roaming, not on a coverage map. Coverage only becomes the deciding factor once you leave built-up areas, and it still varies street by street indoors: check your own postcode below to see the measurement for your address rather than for Durham as a whole.
Ranked by Ofcom's overall score: EE 100, O2 100, Vodafone 99, Three 98. The spread between best and worst is 2 points, which is inside the margin where a coverage figure stops being a useful tiebreak. Ofcom's data describes outdoor signal across sampled addresses; it cannot tell you how any of them behave inside your own building.
These scores for Durham are Ofcom's own measurements, taken from the Ofcom Mobile Coverage API (May 2025 data) across 972 addresses in 52 postcodes. They describe outdoor signal at sampled addresses across the whole of Durham; signal inside a specific building, and on a specific street, can differ from the area figure.
Every network clears the bar in the DH postcode area, so the honest advice is to stop comparing coverage maps and start comparing prices — the difference between the cheapest and dearest plan will dwarf a 2-point coverage gap. Check your own postcode above first: indoor signal varies street by street even where the area figures match.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you switch through one we may be paid a commission. It never changes which network we rank first - that comes from Ofcom coverage data alone.
No network wins Durham on coverage. Ofcom's measurements rate EE, O2, Three and Vodafone within 2 points of each other here (EE 100, O2 100, Vodafone 99, Three 98 out of 100), which is too close to call a winner. All four will work in Durham, so choose on price, contract length and roaming instead.
EE reaches enhanced (5G-grade) outdoor signal at 100% of the addresses Ofcom sampled in Durham, and the other three are within 2 points of it.
O2 is the second-best operator in Durham with 100/100 overall (100% 5G, 100% 4G).
Durham is classified as a mixed urban-rural area with a population density score of 55%. Mixed areas typically see good 4G and growing 5G from leading operators.
Check mobile coverage for specific postcode districts in Durham:
Compare mobile coverage in nearby Northern Ireland & Other areas:
