This information applies to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

You need to decide what you want the phone for. Do you just want a basic phone service or do you want perhaps to be able to connect to the Internet? Are you going to use it a lot, perhaps for work, or is it just in case you need help?

You can choose to pay rental charges and the cost of calls at the end of each month or you can buy vouchers in advance. You also need to think about where you want to use your phone as mobile phones work by picking up signals which may be weaker in more rural areas.

If you have a problem with a mobile phone you will need to know who your contract is with. It could be with:

• a network operator
• a service provider
• an outlet selling directly to the public.

For more information about mobile phones, see Choosing a mobile phone provider.

Other Frequently asked questions about communications:

• How can I stop unwanted phone calls?
• My mobile phone has been stolen, what can I do?
• Do I need a TV licence at university?
• Can older people get help with TV and phone costs?
• How can I find out about the digital switchover?