In order to recognise a number of new MVNO’s which have come to market in the last year we have decided to add the category of Hottest New MVNO. It rewards the business which has created the biggest impact on the market and generated the most interest from consumers. 

A tough contest to call, but BT Mobile won out in the end because of its success across the board. Not only did the business provide an innovative proposition that made use of WiFi hotspots and EE’s network, the brand also demonstrate exciting marketing and attracting a large number of customers to the service. 

The battle to be known as Britain’s best mobile network has never been fiercer. All of the major mobile operators have made significant improvements to their infrastructure making it a really close call for the judges.

The UK’s biggest network came out on top once again thanks to its large and powerful network. A commitment to geographical reach, network reliability and bringing 4G to more customers than anyone else were all factors in EE’s win

One area of the mobile market which has witnessed consistent growth throughout the past year has been SIM-free. The impact of this on retail has been telling with huge numbers of products now sold without contracts attached. Mobile wanted to recognise this by introducing the Best SIM-Free Retailer category for those companies who sell hardware without the contract attached. 

Outstanding growth from a new market entrant and a strong foothold in terms of market share made John Lewis the winner. The department store also impressed the judges with its principled approach and a willingness to put the consumer first. 

Mobile phone stores continue to withstand wave after wave of consolidation, fierce online competition and tough economic conditions to succeed. It’s to the credit of the industry that overwhelmingly in the UK consumers still buy their handsets face-to-face on the high street.

Following a successful store revamp that brought its staff closer to customers EE was able to demonstrate how it had improved in even more areas in 2016. The operator stood out for its ability to provide customers with the best experience as well as continuing to innovate around staff and services. The operator’s decision to put forward its network as its stand out product was something that was stood out for its originality.

This prize was created in order to recognise the exceptional achievement by a business, product or individual over the last year. It celebrates what has been the standout success story from the mobile industry in 2016.  

Dixons Carphone’s 2016 performance has lit up the market, generating value for partners, increasing excitement at key events and selling more of the most important products than anyone else. Succeeding across multiple platforms and with unbeatable customer numbers, the business has continued to achieve landmark commercial success amidst an atmosphere of uncertainty.

The range of affordable products in the market have rarely been greater or of a higher standard. This year there were even more products to choose from as manufacturers battled to have the best value phone on the market

The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua was praised for combining a great level of specifications with an attractive price.

As cellular connectivity on tablets increasingly becomes the norm, the product category’s relevance to the UK continues. This year there were even more impressive devices launched by a host of the main players.

However there was only one victor in this space, Apple’s iPad Pro that ran away from the competition. The additional features included in this most recent model were what convinced the judges.