FACT · UK MVNO
1pMobile
Updated May 14, 2026 · By Jules de Bruin · EE-network UK MVNO with classic 1p/unit PAYG plus modern SIM-only bundles and 46-country EU roaming.
Updated May 2026. 1pMobile is a UK MVNO on the EE 4G and 5G network, founded in 2015 and best known for a pay-as-you-go SIM that charges 1p per minute, 1p per text, and 1p per MB with credit that never expires while the account stays active. Monthly bundles begin at GBP 5/month for 5 GB, and the 50 GB tier at GBP 10/month includes free roaming across 46 European countries — including Switzerland and Turkey. There is no contract lock-in, no credit check, eSIM is supported, and UK PAYG rules mean no SIM registration is required.
What is 1pMobile?
1pMobile is a UK mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that resells access to the EE 4G and 5G network under its own brand. Founded in 2015 by UK Telecom Holdings, it is best known for a pay-as-you-go SIM that charges a flat 1p per minute, 1p per text, and 1p per MB — a pricing structure rare among UK MVNOs.
The operator targets two distinct user groups. The first is light-use customers who want a working UK number without a recurring monthly bill — pensioners, second-phone users, and anyone whose handset mostly sits idle. For them, the 1p/unit PAYG SIM means a one-off GBP 10 top-up can last months or even years, because unused credit does not expire while the account stays active.
The second group is value-focused monthly users who want EE coverage without paying EE's own retail prices. To serve them, 1pMobile has layered modern SIM-only bundles on top of the PAYG product, from GBP 5/month for 5 GB at the entry tier up to a GBP 10/month plan with 50 GB of data and unlimited UK minutes and texts. Plans are 30-day rolling, with no credit check at sign-up and no annual price rise clause. Because 1pMobile runs on EE — ranked first by Ookla and RootMetrics in repeated UK measurement studies — customers get the same masts and 5G footprint that EE retail customers do.
Key facts
At-a-glance summary of 1pMobile's structure, pricing tiers, network, and policies — useful when comparing the brand against other EE-hosted MVNOs such as Lyca, Talk Home, or CMLink UK.
How do 1pMobile's EU roaming benefits work?
1pMobile includes free roaming across 46 European countries on its 50 GB plan — well beyond the EU-27 baseline most UK operators dropped after Brexit. There are no daily roaming surcharges and no extra access fee inside that zone, and customers use their domestic data, minutes, and texts as they would at home up to a fair-use cap.
After Brexit, UK carriers were no longer required to extend Roam Like at Home (RLAH) to EU travellers. Most major UK brands — EE, Vodafone UK, and Three — quietly reintroduced daily roaming charges of around GBP 2 per day in 2022–2023. 1pMobile opted in the other direction: it kept free European roaming and extended the zone well past the EU-27 perimeter.
The 46-country list covers the EU-27, the EEA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), the UK Crown Dependencies, and several non-EU European countries that most operators charge for separately, including Switzerland, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Andorra. Inclusion of Switzerland and Turkey in a free zone is unusual — Switzerland is not in the EU roaming zone and most UK MVNOs treat it as a paid destination.
Within the zone, data, minutes, and texts behave as they would at home, subject to a 12 GB fair-use roaming cap on the 50 GB plan. Heavy data users staying abroad long-term will hit that ceiling before the domestic 50 GB allowance. The cap resets each billing month, and the operator throttles or charges from there per its published terms.
Where does 1pMobile appear on SimCompare365?
1pMobile appears in the UK provider hub and in three ranked guides where its pricing and roaming reach are directly relevant.
Sources
Pricing, tariff structure, roaming zone, and network host are taken from 1pMobile's official site and cross-checked against EE's public coverage data. Regulatory context (post-Brexit roaming, UK PAYG anonymity) is taken from Ofcom.
Verified May 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which network does 1pMobile use? expand_more
1pMobile is an MVNO on the EE network (part of BT Group). Customers use EE's 4G LTE and 5G masts with the same physical footprint as EE retail customers — the network ranked first by Ookla and RootMetrics in repeated UK measurement studies.
Does 1pMobile credit really never expire? expand_more
Yes, with one condition: the account must stay active. 1pMobile defines active as any chargeable event — a call, a text, a data session, or a top-up — at least once in any rolling period defined by its terms. A GBP 10 balance used sparingly can last a year or more, which is why the SIM is popular as a long-life backup or second number.
Is EU roaming really free on 1pMobile? expand_more
Yes, but only on bundle plans — chiefly the 50 GB tier at GBP 10/month, which includes 46 European countries with no daily fee. A 12 GB fair-use cap applies abroad. PAYG users pay international per-minute and per-MB rates instead, so confirm the plan before travelling.
Do you need ID to buy a 1pMobile SIM? expand_more
No. UK law does not require SIM registration or identity verification for pay-as-you-go service, so 1pMobile sells SIMs anonymously by post or in retail. There is also no credit check for the SIM-only bundles, because they are 30-day rolling rather than fixed-term contracts. (Austria and Germany do require ID for prepaid SIMs — UK rules differ.)
Does 1pMobile support eSIM? expand_more
Yes. 1pMobile rolled out eSIM so customers can activate a profile digitally instead of waiting for a physical SIM in the post. eSIM works on the same bundle and PAYG tariffs, including the 46-country roaming zone where the plan includes it.