Check Mobile Coverage on Smarty

Smarty is a low-cost mobile network running on Three’s infrastructure, and in fact it’s even owned by Three. That’s a big potential advantage, since it means Smarty can offer the might of a major network at the price of an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator).

That said, as far as plans and extras go, Smarty is a little limited, so it won’t be for everyone.

Below, you’ll find more details of Smarty’s coverage, its key selling points, and how to improve your Smarty signal if you’re already a customer of the network.

What types of mobile coverage does Smarty have?

Smarty has both 5G and 4G coverage, with 5G being offered as standard on all plans.

It used to offer 3G too, but for the most part it doesn’t anymore, as its parent company (Three) has largely switched its 3G network off. But unless you’re using an ancient 3G-only handset this will be good news, as it means resources are freed up to boost the network’s 4G and 5G.

What are the selling points of Smarty?

One of Smarty’s main selling points is its prices, as it not only undercuts both Three and the other major networks, it also often has lower prices than most other MVNOs. So for sheer affordability and value for money, Smarty is a great choice.

You can also get plans with up to unlimited data on Smarty, and all of its plans are 30-day rolling ones, so you’re not locked into a lengthy contract. Plus, they all come with unlimited minutes and texts.

As well as standard SIM Only plans, Smarty also sells data-only plans for use with tablets and mobile broadband devices, and it has a unique feature in the form of ‘Data Discount’ plans, which refund any unused data each month, making them arguably even better than plans with data rollover – though these plans top out at 3GB, so they’re only suited to very light users.

Smarty also sells ‘Group plans’ which give additional plans a 10% discount, so these are essentially family plans. However, you can’t buy phones from Smarty and there’s no Pay As You Go service.

Other perks of the network include free roaming (up to a 12GB fair usage limit), Wi-Fi Calling, 4G Calling, tethering, and no credit checks.

How can I check Smarty’s network status?

You can use Smarty’s network status checker to see if there are any issues with the network. Just enter your postcode or the postcode you want to check, and it will say if the company is aware of any network issues in that area.

You could also head to Smarty’s page on Downdetector, to see if other users have reported network issues.

What can I do to improve signal?

If there’s an issue with Smarty’s network then you might not be able to improve the signal yourself, but in that case Smarty will almost certainly be working on a fix, so hopefully you won’t have issues for too long. In the meantime, you could use Wi-Fi Calling (assuming you’re in an area with a Wi-Fi network). This lets you call and text as normal, just over Wi-Fi instead of 4G or 5G.

Wi-Fi Calling is also an option if you’re having signal issues unrelated to problems with the network itself, but in that case you might also be able to solve the problem.

The most likely cause in that case is your own phone, so to resolve this, try turning airplane mode on and then off again, and if there’s no change, then try turning your phone off and on.

If that doesn’t help either, it’s worth checking if there are any software updates available for you phone, and installing them if so. If your phone’s battery is low then it’s worth charging that, as low battery can also sometimes have an impact.

If none of that helps, then the area you’re in could be the problem. For example, if you’re in a building with thick stone walls, the signal might struggle to penetrate – but really any building could be a potential cause of issue, so you could try heading outside if that’s viable.

Similarly, being right next to a building or a temporary structure, or under thick tree cover, could potentially have an impact, so move away if possible.

Finally, bad weather can also impact signal, so while there’s not much you can do about that, if the weather’s bad then it’s possible your signal will improve when the weather does.

And if you’re still having problems, you can get in touch with Smarty via webchat.

What other networks use Smarty’s network?

You can get identical coverage to Smarty on Three, iD Mobile, Honest Mobile, and Superdrug Mobile.

Does Smarty have coverage abroad?

Smarty itself has no network infrastructure abroad, but it doesn’t need to because – like the UK’s other mobile networks – it has partnered with foreign networks to provide coverage abroad.

In Smarty’s case, all plans come with inclusive roaming (up to a 12GB fair usage limit) in the EU.