Emma C Jones - Articles

The following article is written for the benefit of mobile phone subscribers in the United Kingdom, although, mobile phone subscribers from other countries that have the same systems and rules as the UK on contract mobile phones could benefit from this article as well.

Have you noticed that some of your friends at work keep the same handset for 2 to 3 years or even longer (even though their contract is for 12 months)? If so, they are not using their right as a consumer to update their mobile phone every 12 or 18 months at the end of their contact. If they want to stick to their old handset because they are familiar with it or they are afraid to learn and explore the new technology on the latest handset, they can still upgrade to get a new handset for free. They can continue to use their old handset and either keep the new handset for back up in case their old handset fails for some reason or is lost or damaged. If they prefer, they can sell it and make a little bit of cash for themselves or they can give it away to a friend or family member to use as a ‘pay as you go’ phone. Alternatively, they could give it to charity so someone else could benefit from it.

There are 6 main mobile phones networks in UK, namely O2, 3, Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Virgin (a virtual network, using T-Mobile as its carrier). Each network has its own unique policy when it comes to upgrading your mobile phone. If you are a customer of any of the above networks and you think you are not getting a good deal on upgrade from your existing network then porting your number from one of the above networks to another is an option (at the same time you can upgrade your handset) and you could end up with a better deal.

I personally believe you can benefit from porting rather than upgrading on same network – as recently I have ported my number from Vodafone to Orange and I received the Sony Ericsson
990i for Free, through the online shop of mobile phones 24. Porting your number can take as long as 7 days but meanwhile you do not loose your connection as all this process is done automatically by Network to Network through PAC (Port Authorisation Code) process. Before you port to your new network you should check the coverage of the new network.

Quote from number porting section of mobilephones24.co.uk:

You must not cancel your existing contract with your network, as disconnected numbers cannot be transferred. When you provide your PAC number to your new chosen network this will instigate the cancellation process with your current Network/Service Provider.

So in summary to upgrade your handset for free at the end of your 12 or 18 month contract:

1- Call your network (at the end of your contact, this could be 12 or 18 months, I personally always go for a 12 months contract - there is a new and latest handset every other month or even week), see if you can get a good deal if you going to renew your contract for a further 12 or 18 months (just get a quote, then start shopping around).

2- Then check with other retailers especially with online mobile shop (i.e. shop around for best possible deal) if you can get a better deal if you upgrade your network through them.

3- You should definitely consider porting you number to another network. Remember you can get a better deal on porting your number to another network since you will then be considered to be a new customer by the new network.


If you are in the UK or some EU countries it is also worth getting a quote for upgrade and porting from the Carphone Warehouse, the largest independent mobile phone retailer in UK & Europe. Their purchasing power makes it possible for them to provide customers with some good deals.

Good luck

By Emma C Jones

Emma C Jones is an independent consultant in consumer affairs

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