If you've moved and haven't had time to notify your correspondents of your new address, letters will continue arriving at the old address for a while. You probably won't have access to them, so immediately set up mail forwarding. You can set up forwarding for the whole family for up to one year.
After this, during sorting, a special sticker with the new address will be attached to letters and they'll be delivered directly there.
The UK has quite a few mobile operators, but only EE, Three, O2, and Vodafone have their own base station networks. Other operators are virtual — they may offer better rates but not better coverage.
No passport or any other document is needed to buy a SIM card.
You can get a prepaid SIM at a supermarket or order one free by post on the operator's website. Almost all operators send SIMs free by mail. While in another country, you can order a SIM and it'll arrive in a couple of business days at the specified UK address.
Without a credit history, it's better not to sign a contract: you'll likely be rejected, and the rejection will affect your credit history.
When you buy a contract, you can negotiate in support chat. For example, say you currently pay less with another operator. They'll then offer you a discount.
5G networks are actively developing, but coverage isn't good everywhere.
| Operator | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Three | Low prices. Option to get Pay As You Go — you top up and use without time limits until the money runs out. Very cheap roaming (depends on country). Most affordable 4G/5G mobile internet (if you're in an area with good coverage). | One major disadvantage — patchy coverage in some areas. If you don't go to places where Three doesn't work, it's not critical, but it can sometimes be a problem. Terrible mobile app and website. |
| EE | Probably the best coverage among all operators. | More expensive than other operators. No good Pay As You Go tariffs. |
| Vodafone | Excellent coverage. High 5G speeds. Occasionally good deals. Cheaper than EE (but more expensive than Three). Mobile internet receivers aren't locked to the operator. | No good Pay As You Go tariffs. |
| O2 | ||
| GiffGaff | Good coverage since it runs on O2 networks. Cheaper than O2. After activating the first SIM, a second arrived with a £5 bonus on both SIMs after activation. So if you need two numbers, you can order one first and save £10. | No good Pay As You Go tariffs. Only monthly payments — you can't just add money like Three and use it until it runs out. |
| Voxi | Virtual operator owned by Vodafone and running on their network. Features a wide range of additional services. |
Check what's best for you on uSwitch.
In any case, you can quickly and freely switch between operators while keeping your number.
ADSL and fibre, prices, quality
https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/broadband-map
As with mobile operators, you can negotiate with internet providers in support chat. For example, Hyperoptic might give a discount and reduce the fee from £29 to £24/month if you say you're interested but currently have better conditions with another provider.
A good alternative to wired internet is mobile internet.
For example, with Vodafone you can get unlimited mobile internet without traffic or speed limits for £37/month. Approximate real download speeds (depends on coverage, so numbers are approximate based on one example):
The main disadvantage of 5G currently is router cost. New ones cost around £400, used on eBay — £200-250. You can get a tariff where the operator provides the router, but the price of a new one is just built into the contract. So it might make sense to find an unlocked used router in good condition — this can save some money.
Coverage might also be unlucky. If the tower is relatively far, speed can drop during heavy rain. Or the tower might be heavily loaded on weekends. But if these problems don't exist, 5G can quite compete with fibre.
If you have a TV at home, watch TV programs or live broadcasts via internet (whether British channels or just internet broadcasts of even foreign channels), or use BBC iPlayer, you must buy a TV License.
Live broadcasts (but not recordings) of foreign channels definitely require a license. For watching streams on YouTube or Twitch, a license generally isn't needed. But the question is quite complex and the answer depends on exactly what you watch. If a TV channel simultaneously broadcasts on YouTube, a license is still required.
You'll periodically receive letters insistently asking you to do this, so you probably won't forget.
The license cost £159 in 2022 (for a black-and-white TV you can pay just £53.50; there are discounts for blind people). Theoretically, they can come for an inspection, but you're entitled not to let anyone in without a court order.
There were even projects to catch non-payers using high technology. A special car would drive past houses and check whether the colored reflections in windows matched programs currently on TV. So they take this quite seriously, although in practice they threaten more than actually check.
You don't need a license if there's no TV at home or you have paperwork from a service center that the TV's ability to receive broadcast signals has been disabled. However, you need to notify authorities that you're opting out. This can be done online on a special website.
If you do watch BBC programs and live broadcasts, £13/month for a Snapchat employee isn't that much money. You'll suffer more if it turns out you haven't been paying. At the same time, iPlayer can quite compete with Netflix in terms of interesting content.
The government plans to abolish the TV License in the coming years and is suggesting BBC find other funding sources. On one hand, this is good news (no need to pay), but on the other, BBC might stop being independent from the government or get ads.
For legally downloading a Linux distribution via Torrent, of course, nothing will happen. The technology itself isn't banned. But it's a legal gray area — better not to do it. There have been cases where after downloading something via torrents, a letter came from the provider reminding about liability.