Before you start

An unlocked handset, or one that supports eSIM
A Brighton and Hove address, for a contract or broadband
A UK bank account, for a contract Direct Debit

Step-by-step

1
Buy a pay-as-you-go SIM or activate an eSIM on arrival
Sold in supermarkets, phone shops and online with no identity registration at all. A UK number in your first hour unlocks bank verification, NHS appointment systems and delivery notifications, all of which assume you have one.
In personWho: YouDay 1
2
Do not attempt a 24-month contract in your first weeks
Contracts run a credit check and require a UK bank account and address. With no UK credit file you will be declined or asked for a deposit. Rolling one-month SIM-only plans have no credit check and are excellent value.
OnlineWho: You
3
Take a SIM-only plan and buy the handset separately
A rolling SIM-only plan with a large data allowance costs a fraction of a bundled handset contract over the same period and can be switched monthly. Buying the phone outright is almost always cheaper in total.
OnlineWho: You
4
Keep your number when you switch
Text PAC to 65075 and you receive a porting authorisation code by return, valid for 30 days. Ofcom rules require the switch to complete in one working day. Never cancel the old service first — that is how people lose the number.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Ask what is actually wired into the flat, not the street
Most Brighton flats are floors of a Victorian house, and the internal wiring from the entrance to your door is often the bottleneck rather than the network outside. A street with full fibre available does not mean the flat has a fibre termination in it. Ask the landlord or the previous tenant what speed they actually got, and ask whether the property is in a leasehold building where the freeholder must consent to an installation.
OnlineWho: You
6
Order broadband the day you have an address
UK installation takes one to three weeks and may need an engineer visit, and in a converted house it can need the freeholder's permission on top. If you work from home, treat this as the first thing you arrange after the keys, not the last.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Nothing at all for pay-as-you-go
A Brighton and Hove address and bank details, for a contract
Passport, occasionally requested for a contract

Things most newcomers don’t know

The bottleneck in Brighton is the building, not the network.

The city's stock is overwhelmingly Victorian and Regency houses converted into flats, often two or three times over. Fibre reaching the street does not mean it reaches the second floor, and in a leasehold conversion an installation may need the freeholder's consent, which can take weeks. Ask what the previous tenant actually got rather than what the postcode checker promises.

Source: Ofcom — broadband coverage checker

The UK has no SIM registration, unlike most of Europe.

Germany, Spain and France all require identity verification to activate a SIM. The UK requires nothing for pay-as-you-go, so a working UK number is a fifteen-minute errand rather than a first-week project.

Source: Ofcom

Text PAC to 65075 — switching keeps your number in one working day.

Ofcom requires networks to issue a porting authorisation code by text on request and complete the switch within one working day. Most people never learn the shortcode and stay on an expired contract tariff for years.

Source: Ofcom — switching mobile provider

If you commute to London, check coverage on the train rather than at home.

An hour each way on the Brighton Main Line is an hour of working time for a lot of people here, and the line runs through cuttings and tunnels where coverage drops on some networks and not others. Ask regular commuters which network they use before you sign a contract around the assumption that you will be productive on the train.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Signing a 24-month handset contract in your first weeks and being declined or asked for a deposit.
Cancelling the old service before requesting a PAC code, and losing the number.
Assuming street-level fibre availability means the converted flat can actually get it.
Leaving the broadband order until after you move, when installation takes weeks.
Not knowing that pay-as-you-go requires no identity check at all.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.