Network testing giant Ookla, which collects data from consumers via their popular Speedtest.net service, has published their Q3-Q4 2024 (H1) study into the speed of 5G based mobile broadband networks across the United Kingdom. The results reveal that Three UK once again delivered the fastest downloads (236.25Mbps) and uploads (12.94Mbps), but their performance has fallen.
As we’ve said before, mobile data performance can be a very difficult thing to pin down because related users are always moving through different areas (indoor, outdoor, underground etc.), using different devices with different capabilities and the surrounding environment (weather, trees, buildings etc.) is ever changeable.
All of the above can impact your service, and that’s before we even consider the other issues, such as network (backhaul) capacity at different cell sites or differing spectrum ownership between mobile operators. Nevertheless, Ookla’s latest study attempts to examine this by comparing 2,337,622 “user-initiated 5G tests“, taken via their iOS and Android based mobile apps (total of 397,094 devices), from all four of the major UK mobile operators.
The results report that Three UK continued to deliver the fastest average (median) 5G mobile download speeds of 236.25Mbps (down from 255.23Mbps in H1 2024) and uploads of 12.94Mbps (down from 14.47Mbps), which is now a long way from the 292.57Mbps they scored back in H2 2022. However, Three’s rivals also saw a small reduction in 5G download and upload performance, while O2 still remains stuck at the bottom of the table.
Ookla’s UK 5G Mobile Speeds for H2 2024 (vs H1 2024)
Median Download Speed
Three UK – 236.25Mbps (255.23Mbps)
Vodafone – 149.80Mbps (155.90Mbps)
EE – 100.56Mbps (106.61Mbps)
O2 – 73.86Mbps (75.96Mbps)
Median Upload Speed
Three UK – 12.94Mbps (14.47Mbps)
Vodafone – 11.55Mbps (12.27Mbps)
EE – 11.97Mbps (12.23Mbps)
O2 – 8.46Mbps (8.97Mbps)
Median Latency (lower figures are faster)
Three UK – 29ms (29ms)
EE – 30ms (29ms)
Vodafone – 31ms (30ms)
O2 – 33ms (34ms)
Ookla also included some city-specific results for 5G speeds in London, Birmingham and Manchester, which you can see below.
