> This doesn't give them any information they didn't already know, phone operators in the UK require at least one form of ID for you to open an account. That's

> This doesn't give them any information they didn't already know, phone operators in the UK require at least one form of ID for you to open an account. That's not true for many prepaid/PAYG users in the UK. Anyone can still walk into a mobile store or supermarket and buy a PAYG SIM card, which isn't the case in many other European countries. Granted, those still don't support the more unusual features such as eSIM and companion smartwatches, but they're still a valuable choice to have.