Glossary
A
Address checker link
An address checker is the provider's own coverage tool, and entering your street there is the quickest way to see if the network reaches …
App
An app is the phone software a customer uses to manage a service, and every brand in this group offers one.
Auto switch
A switch to a better deal handled for you instead of when you decide to move.
B
C
Charger price
What a home charger wallbox costs before anyone fits it, quoted in the currency of the country it is sold in.
Charging power
Charging power in kilowatts sets how fast a wallbox can fill a car battery.
Commission list
Whether a provider publishes what it is paid for sending you a customer.
Coverage
Coverage is the share of the population a mobile network can reach, and a high figure says little about signal quality indoors.
Credit check
A credit check decides whether a provider will let you sign up before you order, and mobile brands differ on whether they ask for …
Customer numbers
Customer numbers show how large a supplier is, which gives you a sense of scale and how much of an operation stands behind your …
D
E
eSIM
An eSIM is a SIM built into the phone, so you activate a plan by scanning a code instead of waiting for a card …
EU roaming
EU roaming is what happens to your data, calls and texts when your phone crosses a border inside the European Union, and each brand …
Exit fee
An exit fee is the charge for ending an energy contract early, and a free one means you can leave without paying to close …
Exit fee terms
The wording around leaving early tells you whether a broadband contract charges you for walking away, and how the charge is worked out.
Export rate
What a supplier pays for the solar electricity you send back into the grid.
F
Fixed contract length
A fixed contract length is how many months you commit to an energy plan, and the longer the term, the more room there is …
Footprint premises
A footprint is the number of homes a provider's network passes, which shapes where it can build next.
Founded year
A founding year is when a provider began trading, and it hints at how settled its billing and support desks are.
Fuels
Fuels are the energy sources a supplier sells, and most sell both electricity and gas while some sell electricity alone.
H
Headquarters
Headquarters is the country of a brand's head office, a quick clue to where the company behind your plan sits.
Host network
A host network is the mobile network your SIM actually runs on, and a provider either owns that network or rents space on somebody …
Hotspot sharing
Hotspot sharing, also called tethering, lets your phone act as the modem for a laptop or tablet, and all these providers list it.
I
L
M
Markets
Markets are the countries a brand actually sells in, which decides whether you can order from it at all.
Max download Mbps
Max download Mbps is the highest download speed a package is built to deliver, and the ceiling ranges widely across these broadband providers.
Multi line discount
A multi line discount cuts the price of the extra SIMs you add to one account, and every provider in this group offers one.
P
Plan contract months
Plan contract months is the minimum period a plan ties you in for, from a single month on a rolling deal to a long …
Post-contract price
The post-contract price is what a broadband deal costs once its promotional period has ended, and it is often the figure that decides whether …
Price from
Price from is the lowest price a provider lists on its own pricing page, usually on a smaller entry plan.
Price rise rule
A price rise rule is the provider's own statement of what it may add to your bill mid-contract, and the details differ sharply between …
R
Reference plan prices
Reference plan prices are a short set of benchmark tariffs per brand, refreshed weekly from each provider's own pages.
Regions served
The region a provider serves decides whether you can buy from it at all.
Renewable basis
The renewable basis is how a supplier backs its green claim, and a power purchase agreement sits apart from certificates.
Renewable electricity share
The renewable share is the part of a supplier's electricity matched to green generation, and every energy brand here lists it in full.
Roaming countries
Roaming countries is the number of destinations where your plan works abroad, and the spread across these brands is wide.
Router
The router is the box that links your broadband line to your devices and broadcasts the wifi signal, and what arrives in the box …
S
Seller type
Seller type says whether a brand runs its own network or resells service on someone else's.
Services
The product groups a provider or comparison site will sell you, from energy and broadband to mobile and insurance.
Setup fee
A setup fee is the one-off charge for getting a line or an installation working, and the amounts differ widely between providers.
Sim only
Sim only means you take the plan without a new phone, and use a handset you already own.
Smart meter requirement
A smart meter is a meter that sends your usage readings automatically, and some energy tariffs will only work if you have one.
Solar divert
A charging feature that sends your own solar power to the car rather than the grid.
Standing charge
A standing charge is a fixed fee that applies whatever you use.
Static IP address
A static IP address is an internet address that stays the same instead of changing each time you reconnect.
Support channels
Support channels are the ways a provider lets you reach its help team, and the mix on offer differs from brand to brand.
Switching fee
What a provider charges to move you onto its deal, and how that charge is described.
T
Tariff types
Tariff types are the pricing structures an energy supplier sells, ranging from fixed to variable, dynamic and green.
Technology
Technology is the kind of link a broadband provider runs to reach your home, and it sets the speeds and reliability you can expect.
Tethered charger
A home EV charger with its cable fixed to the unit, so you carry the connector to the car.
U
Unit rate
The unit rate is the price of one unit of energy, so it works out differently in each market.
Unlimited price
An unlimited price is what you pay for a plan with no cap on data, shown in the currency each provider uses.
Upload speed
Upload speed is how fast your line sends data away from your home, and it decides how well calls, backups and large uploads behave.
US states
The states a provider lists show how much of the country it can serve.
W
Warranty length
The period of cover a brand includes with its product, and who covers longest.
Whole market
Whether a comparison site checks every supplier in a country or a fixed panel.
Wifi calling
Wifi calling puts your voice calls over your home broadband rather than the mobile network, and each provider's own site either confirms it or …