Three UK Named Fastest for 5G Broadband in Ookla H1 2024 Study

Network testing firm Ookla, which collects data from consumers via their popular Speedtest.net platform, has published their latest Q1-Q2 2024 (H1) study into the speed of 5G based mobile broadband networks in the United Kingdom. The results find that Three UK still delivers the fastest average download (255.23Mbps) and uploads (14.47Mbps).

As we’ve said before, mobile data performance remains a 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.

NOTE: The study noted that the UK’s average median 5G download speed is now 118.31Mbps, with uploads of 11.80Mbps and latency times of 31ms.

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 illuminate all this by comparing 2,089,555 “user-initiated 5G tests“, taken via their iOS and Android based mobile apps (total of 355,522 devices), from all the major UK mobile operators.

The results reveal that Three UK continued to deliver the fastest average (median) 5G mobile download speeds of 255.23Mbps (down from 226.27Mbps in H2 2023) and uploads of 14.47Mbps (up from 13.14Mbps), although this is a long way from the 292.57Mbps they scored back in H2 2022 – performance has been dropping since then. By comparison, Three’s rivals have seen some modest improvements, at least for downloads, although O2 (Virgin Media) remains stuck at the bottom.

Ookla’s UK 5G Mobile Speeds for H1 2024 (vs H2 2023)

Median Download Speed
Three UK – 255.23Mbps (226.27Mbps)
Vodafone – 155.90Mbps (141.71Mbps)
EE – 106.61Mbps (94.79Mbps)
O2 – 75.96Mbps (70.43Mbps)

Median Upload Speed
Three UK – 14.47Mbps (13.14Mbps)
Vodafone – 12.27Mbps (12.21Mbps)
EE – 12.23Mbps (12.06Mbps)
O2 – 8.97Mbps (8.93Mbps)

Median Latency (lower figures are faster)
EE – 29ms (30ms)
Three UK – 29ms (31ms)
Vodafone – 30ms (31ms)
O2 – 34ms (33ms)

Ookla also included some city-specific results for 5G speeds in London, Birmingham and Manchester, which you can see below.

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