Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2) has revealed that their joint expansion of 2Gbps speed FTTP broadband with nexfibre has now reached 94,867 new homes in Belfast (Northern Ireland), 68,631 in Birmingham, 56,652 in Leeds, 65,121 in Coventry and 63,870 in Stoke-on-Trent. But interestingly, the provider still expects to reach their target of “5 million homes across the UK by 2026“.

“Our latest rollout … is part of our goal to deliver high speed full-fibre (FTTP) connections to 5 million homes across the UK by 2026. We’ve already reached a total of two million premises passed and ready for service, and we’re continuously expanding and improving our network to give you the latest and greatest broadband technology,” said a string of recent VMO2 build progress updates.

The updates are interesting because they come in the wake of a significant slowdown in nexfibre’s roll-out pace (here and here), which was triggered after co-parent Telefonica launched a Strategic Review of their global business. The decision resulted in nexfibre scaling back their deployment – now aiming to reach just 2.5m premises in 2025 (down from c.3m) – and Virgin Media scrapping the semi-separate NetCo plans for opening up their existing consumer broadband network to wholesale (here).

Suffice to say that this has triggered some uncertainty over nexfibre’s future build targets, since reaching the original goal of 5m by the end of 2026 would now be very difficult. But the latest updates suggest that, despite all these changes, VMO2 still expects nexfibre to reach their 5 million premises target on time.

The most likely solution to bridging this gap in expected deliverability is through consolidation of a rival network or two, which is something that nexfibre and VMO2’s leadership has recently been talking-up. But we’ve yet to hear of any new agreements being made on this front and that will need to happen soon in order to meet the target, not least since network integration work often takes a very long time (nexfibre understands this after their lengthy integration of Upp – here).

So the fact we’re still seeing that 5m target being stated as boldly as before, given all the recent events, does perhaps indicate that they must have some reasonable expectation of an M&A (merger and acquisitions) agreement or two being signed in the near future.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the world’s digital infrastructure company^®, announced it is working with leading energy companies that are developing innovative approaches to generating reliable and sustainable electricity to support the needs of Equinix data centers worldwide. This is part of Equinix’s diversified portfolio power strategy to help mitigate potential power constraints in the future, by expanding traditional power arrangements with utilities and combining new on-site power generation technologies and exploring next generation nuclear energy. These agreements reflect Equinix’s focus to support the scale, efficiency and resiliency customers need through a comprehensive approach to power.

According to a report from the International Energy Agency, the world’s electricity consumption is projected to grow 4% annually through 2027, marking the fastest pace in recent years. This surge is driven by a perfect storm of factors: unprecedented electrification, data center expansion driven by artificial intelligence, and a resurgence in industrial manufacturing. This rising demand can put a strain on utility providers to generate enough power and is already putting pressure on aging electrical grids to distribute it. To help meet demand and support continued growth, the world’s energy grid will require new sources of electricity.

Equinix is taking a diversified portfolio approach to the global energy challenge by tapping into innovative power technologies and working directly with utilities to strengthen the grid. As of today, Equinix is funding and supporting advanced transmission system upgrades with utility partners, including new substations that will enhance grid reliability and emergency backup solutions that aim to benefit all ratepayers during power interruptions. Equinix is also investing in power solutions such as fuel cells and natural gas that are expected to enhance operations while adding capacity resources to the grids where it operates. Looking ahead, the company is supporting the development of advanced nuclear technologies that can deliver reliable, clean power in the future.

“Access to round-the-clock electricity is critical to support the infrastructure that powers everything from AI-driven drug discovery to cloud-based video streaming,” said Raouf Abdel, Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Equinix. “As energy demand increases, we believe we have an opportunity and responsibility to support the development of reliable, sustainable, scalable energy infrastructure that can support our collective future. By working with our energy partners, we believe we can support the energy needs of our customers and communities around the world by helping to strengthen the grid and investing in new energy sources.”

Next generation nuclear technologies can offer a pathway to faster nuclear deployments due to their simplified design and robust safety features. Equinix sees safe, efficient and reliable nuclear energy as a promising solution to help power both data centers and the broader grid. The company is working with:

• Oklo: In 2024, Equinix became the first data center operator to sign an agreement with a small modular reactor (SMR) company. Equinix signed an agreement to procure 500MW of energy from Oklo’s next-generation fission Aurora powerhouses. Oklo’s fast reactors incorporate inherent safety features and can be fueled by nuclear waste.
• Radiant: Today Equinix announced a preorder agreement for the purchase of 20 of Radiant’s Kaleidos microreactors. Kaleidos offers a reliable, long-lasting energy source that can be transported anywhere it’s needed, installed in days, and deployed safely alongside existing equipment and integrated with on-site transmission infrastructure.
• ULC-Energy with Rolls-Royce SMR: Equinix today announced it has signed a Letter of Intent with ULC-Energy for a PPA up to 250 MWe to power data centers in the Netherlands. ULC-Energy is an Amsterdam based nuclear project developer that in 2022 selected Rolls-Royce SMR as its preferred technology solution for deployment of SMRs in the Netherlands. Rolls-Royce SMR is developing a 470 MWe light water small modular reactor. In June, Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the preferred bidder to partner with Great British Energy – Nuclear to deploy the UK’s first small modular reactors.
• Stellaria: Equinix announced a pre-order power agreement for 500 MWe to expand data centers across Europe. Stellaria, incubated by Schneider-Electric, and the CEA (French Atomic Energy Agency), offers the very first molten salt Breed & Burn reactor in the world. It will breed 100% of its liquid fissile fuel inside the reactor without refueling, while recycling spent fuels and burning long life waste.

Advanced fuel cells are another technology that can be used for scalable, efficient and cleaner onsite energy. Equinix has been using fuel cells for more than 10 years in collaboration with:

• Bloom Energy: Equinix has an agreement to expand its deployment of solid-oxide fuel cells to more than 100MW at over 19 data centers in six states to provide onsite power generation. Fuel cells are highly efficient and enable Equinix to avoid 285,000 MTCO2e emissions and 382 billion gallons of embedded water use.

“The potential challenges to powering reliable and sustainable digital infrastructure are considerable,” said Ali Ruckteschler, Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer at Equinix. “However, Equinix has always been at the forefront of energy innovation, signing the data center industry’s first agreement with a SMR provider and pioneering the use of fuel cells a decade ago. Powering AI infrastructure responsibly is a global priority. With Equinix’s operational expertise, trusted supply chain, and close partnerships with the U.S. and global governments and utilities, we are poised to deliver safe, secure and reliable AI solutions for our customers and the communities we serve.”

Equinix is committed to being part of the creative and sustainable solutions that help address the world’s growing energy needs. As data centers continue to provide the crucial infrastructure powering AI and the global economy, it is essential to develop and deploy the energy infrastructure required to power them. The company remains committed to sourcing 100% clean and renewable energy across its global portfolio by 2030 and has already achieved 96% renewable energy coverage globally, with 250 sites operating with 100% renewable energy coverage in 2024.

Equinix also designs highly efficient data centers aimed at optimizing energy use. Since 2022, the company has phased in the adoption of industry best practice ASHRAE A1 Allowable (A1A) standards at new sites worldwide. This enables the flexibility of wider operating temperature ranges, which can optimize energy used for cooling without compromising performance. In 2023, Equinix announced plans to expand support for highly efficient advanced liquid cooling technologies—like direct-to-chip—to over 100 data centers across 45 metros around the world.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

Geopolitical instability across the globe is seeing European spending on defence technology surge

According to a report from Bloomberg, Deutsche Telekom and Porsche Automobil Holding SE are discussing the formation of a new venture capital fund aimed at investing in defence technology.

Anonymous sources say the companies are looking to raise €500 million, though the size and composition of the fund have yet to be confirmed.

The fund will reportedly be run by DTCP, an investment unit of Deutsche Telekom created back in 2015. Then known Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners, DTCP replaced the company’s older venture capital unit T-Venture, investing in various tech companies over the past decade. According to reports, the unit has “backed over 60 digital transformation companies in Europe, Israel and North America”, as of last year.

DTCP already has a preexisting relationship with Porsche, having co-created a $120 million fund called Incharge Capital, aimed at funding mobility and connectivity software startups, in summer last year.

For both Porsche and Deutsche Telekom, the creation of this found represents a growing desire to capitalise on the global political instability that is driving the European defence sector towards rapid growth. In a press release from Porsche, the company said the move would help it grow more diversified, seeing “considerable development potential in the defense and security sector”.

“On our way to becoming a diversified investment platform, we are closely monitoring the areas of defense capability, security and European resilience. With regard to portfolio investments, our aim is to increase our involvement in the defense and defense-related sectors while maintaining our core focus on mobility and industrial technology,” explained Hans Dieter Pötsch, chairman of the board of management of Porsche SE.

How is the German connectivity market changing in 2025? Join the discussion at Connected Germany live in Munich

Also in the news:
US judge rules Huawei must face charges of fraud and racketeering
Optus ditches football rights to focus on telecoms
Nokia launches digital twin platform Enscryb to digitalise energy sector

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The former Group CEO of All Points Fibre Networks (APFN), Jarlath Finnegan, has today been appointed as a Non-Executive Director for UK broadband ISP Wessex Internet, which is currently busy extending their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across rural parts of Southern England.

The provider, which also holds several state aid backed Project Gigabit build contracts (i.e. a total of four contracts worth £72m to deliver full fibre broadband across over 53,000 properties in the next four years), currently covers 40,000 premises across parts of Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset with their fibre optic lines (inc. 14,000 customers). Existing deployment plans aim to expand this to 137,000 premises (here).

In his new role as Non-Executive Director, Jarlath will advise on Wessex Internet’s infrastructure strategy and operational and rollout efficiency, drawing on his track record of delivering complex build programmes.

Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO of Wessex Internet, said:

“Jarlath’s appointment strengthens our ability to scale efficiently and deliver transformational connectivity to some of the hardest-to-reach communities in the South West. His deep knowledge of infrastructure rollout and ability to drive performance at pace will be invaluable as we expand under multiple Project Gigabit contracts. This appointment is about adding perspective and experience to an already strong leadership team.”

It’s worth noting that Jarlath was previously the CEO of Giganet, which is also part of APFN. But Giganet was originally born out of M12 Solutions, which prior to all that also helped to support Wessex Internet. The modern telecoms market has many historic connections.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Rural focused UK ISP Quickline has announced that, as part of their social value commitment under the Government’s Project Gigabit programme, they’ve launched a new offer to business premises covered by their alternative full fibre (FTTP) network in South Yorkshire – offering the first six months of service for free when they sign-up.

In case anybody has forgotten, Quickline currently holds the Project Gigabit delivery contract for South Yorkshire (Lot 20), which originally aimed to help extend their gigabit broadband network to over 32,000 of the hardest-to-reach premises in the county; backed up by a public investment of £44m.

The offer includes the provider’s full gigabit-capable business broadband package, typically a premium-rate service, provided free for the first six months. “By removing the financial barrier of connectivity costs during those crucial first months, we’re enabling entrepreneurs to put their resources into building their dreams into thriving businesses,” said Rachel Thompson, Business Sales Manager at Quickline. “Reliable broadband shouldn’t be a luxury – it should be a given.”

The offer is available now in selected areas of South Yorkshire where Quickline’s full fibre network is live.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile operator Mozillion, which is a virtual network operator (mvno) that harnesses EE’s national 4G and 5G platform, has confirmed that some of its customers are experiencing ongoing connectivity problems (i.e. it stopped working) with their WiFi Calling service.

In case anybody doesn’t already know – Wi-Fi Calling (VoWiFi) enables consumers with a supporting Smartphone and mobile operator to harness their home broadband connection or another WiFi network to make mobile voice calls, instead of using your mobile (2G, 4G or 5G) network. The feature is extremely useful, particularly when away from a good mobile signal, but support can still be patchy between different networks and devices.

The problem with this service on Mozillion appears to have started a couple of weeks ago, after some customers began noticing that WiFi Calling seemed to have stopped working. “I have tried enabling and disabled Wi-Fi calling, turning the SIM card on and off, turning the phone on and off, but this has not resolved the problem,” said John, one of those to report the problem.

The provider initially attempted to resolve the problem for some customers by resetting their SIMs, but this did not fix it. Customers who attempt to raise the issue with Mozillion are now being given the following canned statement.

Mozillion Statement on Wi-Fi Calling Problem

“We are aware of a temporary network issue affecting WiFi Calling on some numbers. If you are unable to make calls over WiFi, please temporarily disable this function in your phone’s settings.”

We’ve contacted Mozillion in the hope of getting a bit more information and hopefully some indication of when it might be resolved.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) agency, which is the national funding agency for investing public money into science and research projects, recently announced that 11 telecoms and networking projects had each secured a slice of £13m to help commercialise their work on advanced connectivity technologies (e.g. 6G [mobile broadband], fibre optics and more).

The chosen projects reflect quite a wide variety of connectivity solutions and technologies. For example, some are designed to help the emergency services enhance coordination systems during disasters and large-scale incidents, while others will explore 3D video streaming technology, improve communications between the ground and Earth’s satellites, or support high-speed broadband access to remote locations.

The projects represent the second phase of a competition supporting Advanced Connectivity Technologies (formerly ‘Future Telecoms’), one of the six frontier technologies highlighted in the Digital and Technologies Sector Plan, part of the UK government’s new 10-year Industrial Strategy.

Initially launched in 2024, the additional funding for these projects enables them to build on their successful developments and accelerate commercial deployment of next-generation technologies that could form part of 6G networks. The successful applicants will now advance their prototypes toward commercial deployment.

Gary Cutts, Innovate UK Executive Director Digital & Technologies, said:

“This investment is a major milestone for Innovate UK in delivering DSIT’s vision for world-class Advanced Connectivity Technologies. These cutting-edge projects show how targeted innovation funding can unlock transformative technologies, like 6G and optical wireless, bringing real benefits to rural communities, emergency services and the wider UK economy through home-grown innovation.”

We actually meant to write about this a week ago, but must apologise for forgetting about it in amongst a mass of other news reporting. A quick summary of the eleven different projects can be found below.

The 11 UKRI Projects

1. Development of a novel network switch to enable next generation ultrahigh speed wireless access solutions led by Novocomms Limited – based in Birmingham.

The project will provide ultra-high speed internet connections to difficult locations (such as a rural location) without the need for installing costly wired or fibre optic infrastructure.

2. Mid Infrared Free Space Telecommunications MIST2 led by Fraunhofer Uk Research Limited – based in Glasgow with partners in Yeovil (AV Optics), Preston (BAE Systems), Paignton (Bay Photonics) and Southampton (Covesion)

This project will address the challenges facing systems using light-based communications in challenging environments such as cloud and fog.

3. nCOMM+1: A multi-access wireless network for holographic video led by Nephelie Technologies Limited – based in Bristol

This project will speed up the streaming of 3D video wirelessly at scale, enabling people to appear and interact in remote spaces as if physically present. It raises the possibility of a dancer, surgeon, or teacher sharing their presence anywhere in the world, in real time, without flat screens. 

4. High Optical Power PCSEL Laser for Intersatellite Data Transmit Enhancement (HOPLITE) led by Vector Photonics Limited – based in Glasgow

HOPLITE is developing advanced laser technology to boost Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC), which uses light to send data wirelessly at ultra-fast speeds. This breakthrough could enable faster, more secure internet connections between buildings, campuses, and even satellites, without relying on cables or radio signals.

 

5. TrustNetz led by Nquiringminds Limited – based in Southampton

TrustNetz is a new form of network security. It provides evidence of “trustworthiness” that can be used across networks and network types. 

Rather than relying on a single password or certificate, it can use at the device owner, the device manufacture, software and device testing evidence to inform a continuous assessment of security posture. It can even evaluate the trustworthiness of an AI system sitting within the device.

 

6. Integration of AI & Image processing into Microwave Backhaul Alignment led by Acculink Technology Limited – based in Cirencester

This project aims to speed up the introduction of 5G microwave installation using technology that maintains the physical stability and accuracy of connections in unstable environments. 

 

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the products are high quality, offering robust and reliable telecoms infrastructure suitable for critical communications.

 

7. VOLTAIRE-B led by Pangolin Industries Ltd – based in Livingstone and Glasgow.

VOLTAIRE-B is creating advanced light sensors that help test and maintain fibre optic networks, which are essential for fast internet. Their new chip design aims to meet growing demand for reliable tools to support future network upgrades and repairs.

 

8. CAPTIVATE 2 led by Alter Technology TUV Nord UK Limited – based in Livingston, Scotland

This project will improve optical communications between satellites. CAPTIVATE2 is helping build the data highways that future spacecraft need while keeping the entire supply chain on British soil.

 

9. Demonstration of Swept Beam Antennas for Coverage and Cell-Edge Capacity Enhancement in an Operational 4G / 5G Cellular Testbed Network led by University of Surrey – This project will use technology to improve the quality of service from mobile cellular operators. It has the potential to decrease the number of deployed cellular masts by maintaining the same level of coverage across a network.

 

10. Illuminate Ph2 led by Archangel Lightworks Ltd – based in Oxford this project will deploy the TERRA-M Optical Ground Station (OGS) to a teleport and conduct an extended test campaign with partners’ Low Earth Orbit optical communications satellites. It will help cement the UK and Archangel Lightworks’ position on the cutting-edge of optical satellite communications technology.

 

11. Project ARANA Phase 2 led by Weaver Labs Limited – based in London and trialling in Milton Keynes – live pilot trials at Stadium MK will bring experience of a cutting-edge private 5G in action, delivered through a unified mobile application built on the Cell-Stack platform.  Visitors should be able to interact with a wide range of services in real time during matches.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Some customers of mobile network operator Three UK (VodafoneThree), specifically those who took the new 5G Outdoor Hub (Green Packet Y5-210MU) option for their Three Home Broadband service, are finding that the router has recently developed an annoying habit of rebooting itself once every hour.

The problem appears to have first started on Thursday 7th August 2025 and isn’t being reported by everybody. Several threads on the operator’s community forum (e.g. here and here) make reference to the issue, as do several posts via social media and some review websites. But so far Three UK have not acknowledged that the issue exists and has merely continued to gather data from those affected.

One of those impacted by the issue, Matt, suggested to both ISPreview and Thinkbroadband that the problem may have been caused by a possible Firmware update that seems to force a TR-069 inform interval of 3600 seconds and each inform event ends up restarting the modem session.

For the uninitiated, TR-069 is a common remote management service, which is what enables broadband and mobile ISPs to access, manage and update your broadband router (e.g. necessary for use as part of customer support tasks).

Matt told ISPreview:

“Customers are unable to disable TR-069 or change the interval because the firmware is locked down (and even ignores attempts to override it). My own connection — which I rely on for delivering online training sessions from home — is currently disconnecting once per hour like clockwork, which is now directly impacting my work/income.

Three’s customer support say the only advice is “reboot the router”, and there’s no escalation route that actually addresses the firmware flaw. They continue to advertise this as an “outdoor 5G broadband solution”, they even insisted I was sent a new EERO and Router but the problem is exactly the same again.”

Naturally, we’ve contacted Three UK in the hope of securing an update and will report back when they respond. But it’s worth noting that resolving firmware bugs, if indeed that does turn out to be the issue, tends to be a very slow process for most networks. This usually extends more from the manufacturer’s side than the network operator. Any changes also have to go through testing before they can be distributed in the wild, which adds another delay.

As we say, ISPreview hasn’t yet seen similar complaints from every user of the same kit, although we aren’t currently sure whether they’re all on the same firmware version. Customers who report the issue are on hardware version 1.0 and firmware version: Y5-210MU_V1.3.5_ThreeUK. Mind you, it’s not the first time an issue related to connection drops has cropped up with this specific device (mega thread).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Edinburgh-based UK ISP and network builder GoFibre has this morning announced that they’ve secured a huge £125m funding boost from the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) and Hamburg Commercial Bank. The money will support their roll-out of FTTP broadband under the government backed Project Gigabit contracts in South and North East Scotland.

The UK Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit scheme is currently working to extend 1Gbps download speeds to reach “nationwide” coverage (c. 99%) by around 2032. As part of that, GoFibre has already secured three smaller ‘Local’ (Type A) deployment contracts for Teesdale (Lot 4.01), North Northumberland (Lot 34.01) in North England and the Scottish Borders and East Lothian (Scotland Lot 5) area. In July 2025 they also added a fourth contract to that – the large (Type B) £105m (state aid) deal to cover “around” 63,000 premises in hard-to-reach rural areas of North East Scotland (here).

The new contract – covering parts of Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee, Highland, Moray and Perth and Kinross – was the largest one GoFibre has ever won and seemed to be bigger than their existing funding would allow. This meant that it was likely to be supported by another sizeable funding raise in the future, which is of course precisely what today’s announcement is all about.

The additional £125m being announced today (outside the Forfar Indoor Sports Centre – a GoFibre customer) reflects both a £45m debt facility from the SNIB alongside a further £80m from Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB). GoFibre was advised by Deloitte on the transaction. This means the operator is now being backed by a total private investment of £289m (excluding state aid under the Project Gigabit contracts).

Neil Conaghan, CEO of GoFibre, said:

“This is a significant step-change in GoFibre’s position both as a major independent broadband provider, and as a significant company in Scotland.

Our appointment as the supplier for the biggest Project Gigabit delivery area in Scotland, in the north east, builds on our win earlier this year for the very first Scottish lot to be announced, for the Borders and East Lothian.

We are excited to play a crucial role in bringing the very best full fibre broadband connectivity to rural areas in Scotland, as part of our mission to bridge the digital divide.

We are grateful for the support of The Scottish National Investment Bank, HCOB and Gresham House as we continue to build and grow GoFibre.”

Ailsa Young, Investment Director of Innovation at the SNIB, said:

“GoFibre is a great example of a Scottish scale-up that is targeting growth through delivering tangible local impact. We live in an increasingly digital world where high-speed, reliable internet is essential for accessing services and building and maintaining connections.

Broadband is a critical service for businesses and communities. This continues to be an important sector for us, so we’re delighted to support GoFibre as it delivers important connectivity to the north east of Scotland.”

The big challenge for GoFibre now will be in the need to scale up their operations at pace, albeit without allowing costs to get out of control or deliverability to suffer, which is always a difficult challenge for any business and one that has in the past caused problems for some other rural-focused network operators (e.g. a few years back Gigaclear faced challenges with several government contracts).

At the same time, GoFibre has also committed to leaving a lasting legacy in communities. As part of its roll-out, the company will launch a further round of its GoFurther Fund, with up to £250,000 in grants being made available to local causes in the north east of Scotland and up to £150,000 in the Borders/East Lothian (i.e. focused on their roll-out locations).

Customers of the new GoFibre service, once live over the next few years, can expect to pay from £22.50 per month for a 150Mbps (30Mbps upload) package on a 24-month term with an included wireless router, which rises to £33 for their top 1000Mbps (100Mbps upload) plan. The latter also comes with a bonus Wi-Fi extender (this can optionally be taken on other plans at extra cost).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile benchmarking firm RootMetrics (Ookla) has today published their H1 2025 study of UK mobile networks (calls, texts etc.) and 4G/5G mobile broadband speeds. The results once again name EE as the best mobile provider after they scooped up the highest scores and fastest data speeds across most categories.

The study itself is based on the results of over 625,000 tests, conducted by a team of testers using off-the-shelf Smartphones between January and June 2025 (drive and walk tests), to measure the real-world performance of mobile operators in the United Kingdom. But it should be said that this study is focused on the results from 16 of the UK’s largest metropolitan markets, which means that it isn’t much good at reflecting the balance from slower rural connectivity.

The results shown below are typically split into several categories (network reliability, speed, data, call and text quality etc.) and each is assigned a score out of 100 (higher numbers = better). In terms of the UK-wide results, EE came top in every single category, with Vodafone being the runner-up. By comparison, O2 echoed their results in other studies by coming bottom of all the same categories.

In terms of the overall results, every single mobile operator managed to improve their scores over the previous biannual study, with the biggest improvements being recorded by Three UK and O2. Otherwise, EE delivered the fastest median mobile broadband download speed of 110.8Mbps, followed by Vodafone (48.4Mbps), Three UK (45.7Mbps) and O2 (36.2Mbps).

Overall Scores for H1 2025 (vs H2 2024)
1. EE –  93.2 (up from 91.7)
2. Vodafone – 85.8 (up from 85.3)
3. Three UK – 84.2 (up from 81.2)
4. O2 – 80.1 (up from 76.7)

Finally, in terms of 5G specific mobile broadband speeds, EE delivered median download speeds of 241.2Mbps, followed by Three UK (217.3Mbps), Vodafone (163.8Mbps) and then O2 (98.7Mbps). 5G availability also continued to improve – EE and O2 each recorded more than 70% availability in UK-wide testing. Three UK followed at just over 60%, while Vodafone trailed at 53.6%. For perspective, the highest availability they recorded in 2H 2024 was EE’s 66.8%, highlighting the progress made as 5G continues to expand.

However, the RootMetrics’ report only provides bits and pieces of selected information, while we would have preferred to see a bit more detail (e.g. upload performance and latency). As above, the data is also dominated by an urban focus, which gives little weighting for poorer performance in rural areas. But that is often the caveat with this type of scientific, albeit very manual, testing – there’s simply not enough data to give a complete picture of the UK.

RootMetrics UK Mobile Performance Review H1 2025
https://www.ookla.com/../rootmetrics-uk-state-of-mobile-union-1h-2025