Jules de Bruin
Editor and founder, SimCompare365 · Vienna, Austria
Hello. I'm Jules de Bruin. I started SimCompare365 in 2018 after I moved from the Netherlands to Vienna and realised that picking a mobile plan in a new European country was unreasonably painful. Coverage data was buried in regulator PDFs, prices were marketing-friendly rather than reader-friendly, and English-language comparisons just didn't exist for half the markets I cared about.
I built this site to fix that. SimCompare365 tracks every active mobile plan in the United Kingdom and Austria. Prices are verified weekly. Coverage claims are cross-checked against Opensignal, nPerf, and the national regulator. No operator pays for placement — my rankings are independent.
Background
Before SimCompare365 I spent eight years in telecoms product analysis — first as a researcher covering European MVNOs, then as a product analyst at an operator in the Netherlands. That work taught me what consumers actually need from a comparison site: real numbers, honest trade-offs, and zero patience for marketing language.
I'm fluent in English, Dutch, and German, which is useful for reading Austrian regulator filings and German-language operator pages without losing nuance in translation.
What I cover
- United Kingdom: EE, O2, Vodafone, Three, and every active MVNO. London performance overlay. Brexit roaming. Inclusive Extras and household bundling.
- Austria: A1, Magenta, Drei, plus MVNOs (Spusu, HoT, educom, Yesss!, Lyca, Lebara). Vienna U-Bahn coverage. Pre-paid Wertkarte signup without a Meldezettel.
- European travel eSIMs: Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, Orange Holiday and similar regional plans.
- Use-case guides: students, expats, residents, EU roamers, international callers, city commuters.
How I work
I check every provider page weekly for price changes. I activate every pre-paid SIM I recommend at least once a year, using a non-published number, so I can describe the actual signup experience. Where Opensignal or nPerf data exists, I cite the most recent published quarter and link to the source. When I'm wrong, I correct the page openly and add a dated note — see the Editorial Standards page for full sourcing rules.
Contact
Reach me at julesdbruin@gmail.com for corrections, tips, or interview requests. I aim to respond within 3 working days. For commercial enquiries, see the Contact page.
External profiles: LinkedIn.