If your phone can accept two SIM cards - or one eSIM and a physical SIM - then our upgraded app can show which is giving the best results.
SIM cards, particularly for budget operators, can be bought very cheaply and are sometimes given away for free. But would the service be as good as your existing operator?
SignalTrackerPro can tell you. Pop the SIM into your phone, open the app, let it run in the background and follow your normal daily routine. The app will measure the signal strength of the two operators and present the results in graphs and maps.
Let’s take the example of someone who does a lot of long-distance work travel from London to the east of England. They currently use O2 but are considering a cheaper offer from Lebara.
How are the two services likely to compare?
Start with Operator performance tab shown on the right. To make calls and get decent internet connection you need good signal strength and this is what the first graph measures.
O2 and Lebara get very similar results. Lebara has fewer poor readings but O2 has more moderate ratings.
The second graph shows which mobile technologies are being used. Both operators use 4G most of the time but O2 also offers 5G. On the other hand O2 also uses more 2G, where the internet connectivity is far inferior to 4G.
So not much to separate them by these two measures.
The app’s Signal Strength Map shows whether the poor reception results in the graph are evenly spread or concentrated into coverage deserts. The map shows each operator’s results individually, but below we have put them side by side for illustrative purposes.
Comparing signal strength for O2 and Lebara
There is very little to choose between them the two operators. In fact they seem to have poorer coverage in the same areas.
Where O2’s 5G standalone was available
The main differentiator is O2’s 5G standalone, but this is not widely available, as shown on the right by using the filter on the Signal Strength Map.
The user’s decision will probably depend on value for money.
The O2 premium service shown here costs £34 a month. Lebara offers a similar service for £20 but without 5G standalone.
Is the 5G standalone worth it? Possibly if you spent more time in cities where it is more widely available. But for this user it seems a small benefit for a considerable cost.
