Discover which are the United Kingdom’s Tier 1 mobile phone networks and which of the most popular Tier 2 mobile phone networks use their infrastructure to make calls and send data.
On this page, we highlight each tier of mobile phone network (believe it or not they are not all equal), and how eco or environmentally friendly they are. Even if your mobile phone provider seems clean enough, if they use a Tier 1 supplier who isn’t currently interested in saving our planet, your mobile phone plan might not be as green as you think.
You can also skip this page and just get the latest deals from the most environmentally friendly mobile phone networks in the UK.
Tier 1 Mobile Phone Networks
Tier 1 mobile phone networks are the major mobile phone networks in the UK who have ben issued lisences by the government to own and operate radio telecommunications equipment on.
All other mobile phone networks in the UK must partner with one of these four Tier 1 mobile phone network providers. Also anyone coming from abroad using the roaming feature on their phone will automatically be connected to their home network’s British partner In theory, you could be living green in your home country, come to the UK and become a contributor to global warming.
Below is a table of British Tier 1 mobile phone networks including their green pledges on carbon neutrality. If you must use any of the networks without a carbon pledge, please consider doing something to mitigate it.
| Network | Profile | Carbon Neutral? |
| EE | Owned by large telecommunications provider British Telecom, EE was formed in 2010. | No target |
| O2 | O2 took on its current brand name in 2002 after previously being known as Cellnet, then BT Cellnet. They are now onwned by spanish telecomunications giant Telefónica. | Net-zero by 2025 |
| Vodafone | Famous for being one of the biggest mobile communications companies in the UK for several years, Vodafone made themselves a household name sponsoring sports teams like Manchester United and the McLaren Formula 1 racing team. | Net-zero by 2050 |
| Three | Bursting onto the schene with offers surrounding the laungh of 3G in the UK, Three mobile network have always offered fantastic deals and an alternative brand voice to the often stuffy and formal approach taken by the other three Tier 1 network providers. | No Target |
Tier 2 Mobile Phone Networks
Every Tier 2 mobile phone network must rely on a provider in Tier 1 who own and operate the equipment required for us to make calls.
The table below contain the Tier 1 supplier and the Tier 2 mobile networks who rely on them to provide their services so you can make an informed decision.
Who do the Tier 2 mobile network suppliers purchase their services from?
| Network | Infrastructure Provider | Carbon Neutral |
| Asda Mobile | Vodafone | NO |
| BT Mobile | EE | NO |
| Ecotalk | EE | NO |
| GiffGaff | O2 | NO |
| ID Mobile | Three | NO |
| Lebara | Vodafone | NO |
| Plusnet Mobile | EE | NO |
| Sky Mobile | O2 | NO |
| Smarty | Three | NO |
| Tesco Mobile | O2 | NO |
| Utility Warehouse | EE | NO |
| Virgin Mobile | EE | NO |
| Voxi | Vodafone | NO |
Carbon Neutral Status
Here are some projections for each network’s carbon neutral status over time based on their pledges to become carbon neutral.
As it stands today, only O2, will be net zero by 2025, with a further 25 year wait until Vodafone finally makes it there. That means by 2025, only 23% of the most well known mobile phone contract suppliers in the UK will be carbon neutral. In 2050, it will still be less than 50% at things stand today.
Hopefully more environmentally friendly or carbon neutral mobile phone contract suppliers pop up in Tier 2 and offset their own emissions including those they create with their Tier 1 supplier. We also need EE and Three to come up with their carbon pledges ASAP. We’re sure they must be working on them.
Hopefully progress can happen much sooner than 2050, becauase we’re facing a climate emergency. Mobile phone use probably isn’t going to push us over the edge, but we all need to play our part.
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Now you are more aware the UK mobile phone networks impact on the environment, you can make a more informed decision about the network you go with.