Which mobile network is the fastest?
It’s easy to forget that the UK’s big four mobile networks all have their own infrastructure in place across the country.
And while many brands choose to piggyback on existing hardware (Sky and Tesco Mobile both use the O2 network, for instance), that hardware still has to be installed and maintained.
Indeed, coverage and performance has become something of an arms race between the big four networks – the aforementioned O2, EE (BT), Three and Vodafone.
But out of these four fierce competitors, which mobile network is the fastest? And do results vary depending on which part of the UK you live in?
Fastest finger first
The key takeaway from RootMetrics’ latest biannual study of the UK’s 4G and 5G mobile networks is that EE continues to deliver the best overall performance.
Using an array of 5G-enabled Samsung Galaxy Note devices, RootMetrics carried out tests across 16 UK cities at different times of day and night.
Over 600,000 individual pieces of test data were analysed across six categories – accessibility, speed, reliability, and call/data/text performance.
Remarkably, EE came top in each of the six categories, helping it to secure a decisive overall victory.
Vodafone was consistently second-best, Three came third in five of the six tests, and O2 finished last in every test bar accessibility.
In terms of the all-important speed, EE’s UK-wide average download speed of 43Mbps blew the competition away.
Vodafone managed a national average of just 21.1Mbps, Three’s score was 13.9Mbps and O2’s was a frankly disappointing 12.9Mbps.
It should be noted that O2 and Three both saw their performance fractionally improve compared to the first half of 2020, though nowhere near enough to close the gap on their rivals.
It’s unclear to what extent EE’s access to the BT network is benefiting it, though it’s undoubtedly helping the company to cement its market-leading position.
Regional variations
Determining which mobile network is the fastest does depend to an extent on where you live.
Although EE dominated all four home nations, its margin of victory varied considerably.
It was more than twice as fast as nearest rival Vodafone in terms of median downloads across England (44.3 versus 20.6Mbps).
However, in Wales the gap was far smaller – 31 versus 20.3Mbps. Meanwhile, O2’s pan-Welsh speed was a dismal 7Mbps.
Three’s lowest average speed was recorded in Northern Ireland, where O2 managed to leapfrog it into third place – though still some way behind EE and Vodafone.
The latter’s fastest connectivity was recorded across Scotland, at 26.5Mbps.
It’s worth noting none of the networks has particularly strong 5G service, with patchy coverage even in major cities like Belfast and Sheffield.
However, recorded 5G speeds were rapid enough to suggest a service transformation is on the cards for customers once connectivity becomes more widespread.