EE has scored the best LTE upload and download speeds in the UK, in regulator Ofcom’s first report into mobile broadband performance.
The regulator tested 3G and LTE performance across five cities in the UK, scoring operators on upload and download speeds, latency and web browsing speeds.
The average download speed on 4G was 15.1MBps, over twice that of average 3G performance. EE notched up the highest speed, at 18.4MBps, with O2 in second place at 15.6MBps. Vodafone and Three were in third and fourth place, with speeds of 14.3MBps and 10.7MBps respectively.
EE also had the fastest 3G download speeds at 6.8MBps, narrowly followed by Vodafone (6.7MBps) then O2 (5.6MBps) and Three (5.2MBps).
When it came to uploads, the average 4G speed was 12.4MBps, with EE (14.7MBps) and O2 (13.0MBps) outperforming the average. Vodafone (11.4MBps) and Three (11.1MBps) were in third and fourth place respectively.
However, Three was the best performing network for uploads on its 3G network, scoring an average of 1.7MBps, compared to EE and O2 (both 1.6MBps), and Vodafone (1.5MBps).
Three also bagged the top slot for web browsing, loading pages on its 4G network in 0.62 seconds. EE came second at 0.76 seconds, with O2 and Vodafone joint third (0.82 seconds).
Latency was another area where Three performed strongly, with the network taking 47.6 milliseconds to deliver data. EE was a close second at 48.2 milliseconds, Vodafone third (59.8 milliseconds) and O2 fourth (62.7 milliseconds).
The regulator found LTE was available from at least one operator in 70 percent of UK premises. London was the best performing city for LTE latency and web browsing but came last when it came to download and upload speeds. While Edinburgh had the fastest 3G and LTE download speeds, it had the highest levels of latency.
Ofcom CEO Ed Richards said: “Having fast, reliable broadband on the move is vital for many consumers and businesses across the UK. Today’s research shows 4G is providing a significantly enhanced mobile broadband experience to customers, which we expect to be available to 98 percent of the UK population by 2017 at the latest.”
Read more:
Ofcom to hold auctions of 2.3GHz, 4.3GHz spectrum for public use
Licence to share operators remain wedded to spectrum exclusivity