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Giffgaff is an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) using O2's network. A quick Google gave this link, which I've not read thoroughly and which seems to be US-centric, but it also seems to backup your suspicion that virtualized network customers could be given low priority when there is congestion.
Does Giffgaff do this? No idea.
I'm definitely not an expert so this might be all wrong. I've used Giffgaff for years and it's generally been the right balance of adequate and cheap for me.
https://www.tomsguide.com/reference/mvnos-what-are-they-and-what-are-the-best-options
Is giffgaff’s service/coverage shit? They rate well on “Which?” but I’m regularly getting 4g signal (2/3 bars) but no actual connection. It seems like the phone coverage is also poor.
My speculation is that because it’s cheap their requests are low priority on the masts or whatever. But I don’t actually know how any of it works.
So I’m wondering if other people have any experience of giffgaff vs other networks. Is it worth paying a bit more for service from another provider?
The other thing I notice is that it’s shit when there’s lots of people around. I’m working in a shopping centre. It’s shit service all day, but now at 630pm once everyone has left the area it’s good again. Will this be the same for all networks?