September 26th 2019

Glaswegians had the best mobile network experience of residents in the 10 largest UK cities, continuing the trend of Scottish dominance in the recent Tutela State of Mobile Networks Report. Glasgow topped the table for Excellent Consistent Quality with 78.4% of tests meeting the thresholds, compared to just 74.4% for last-place London. The Excellent Consistent Quality standard is a set of thresholds that represent whether a network is suitable for a range of different key uses like HD video streaming, group video calling, and online multiplayer mobile gaming. 

Meanwhile, London came bottom of the ten cities tested, with 74.4% of tests meeting the same thresholds. This was despite both cities having similar median download speeds - 13.0 Mbps in London compared to 12.9 Mbps in Glasgow - and reinforces how different mobile network components all contribute to user experience. 

Other key findings from the report include:

• Leicester had the fastest median download speeds with 14.5 Mbps (based on measurements across all networks, and all times of day)
• EE delivered the best mobile quality in 8 out of the ten cities tested, while Vodafone is best provider for Excellent Consistent Quality in both Glasgow and Liverpool
• EE also proved to be the fastest network in all cities on average, having the highest median download throughput out of any of the “big four” operators

Tom Luke, VP at Tutela, commented: “Glasgow’s results are encouraging for digital inclusion across the UK, as is the close grouping of results among the top 10 largest cities in the UK. The fact that just 4% separated first and last place for Excellent Consistent Quality is a mark of just how consistent the services provided by UK mobile operators are. The challenge now for operators will be finding the right balance between ensuring adequate capacity in busy urban areas, expanding rural coverage and making the most of the potential of 5G. This will be critical for success in enabling better mobile experiences and succeeding in an ever more competitive mobile marketplace going forward.” 

The report used over 3 billion records, including 16 million speed tests and 258 million latency tests, collected in the UK between 1st March and 31st August 2019. The full report can be read online here.