October 2017
EE subscribers are enjoying access to the best mobile video, web browsing, and file sharing in the UK. EE is out-performing the UK’s three other main mobile networks, Vodafone, O2 and 3 on 4G download performance by a considerable margin.
4G Speed Test
2MB Download / 1 MB Upload
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In fact EE performed the best overall on 4G. Our latest report, which looks at 5 major key-performance-indicators (average download and upload file transfer throughput, latency, jitter and packet-loss) showed that EE is delivering the best 4G experience across several dimensions.
That said, relatively high jitter and latency on its 3G networks suggest the network provider is focusing on newer 4G technologies and not investing as heavily in its older 3G infrastructure. This may be negatively impacting subscribers out of range of 4G or with older phones.
Between July 1 and September 30, 2017, a total of 91 days, we collected 118,311,302 test records from a wide range of mobile devices connecting to the UK’s big four mobile networks, EE, Vodafone, O2 and 3.
One of the factors we assessed was average download transfer speeds across each provider based on a 2MB download, representing typical user behaviour such as downloading a photograph or web page. (Note that these results differ from the “peak throughput” results that are often quoted by operators).
"These results suggest that for the average user, loading a photo or webpage would be around 40% faster on EE than the other networks."
Overall Download Speed
In terms of the average download speeds experienced by subscribers, across both 3G and 4G, EE was ahead of the other networks with an average of 14.9 Mbps. Vodafone followed with 10.9 Mbps, O2 registered 9.7 Mbps and 3 with 7.6 Mbps. These results suggest that for the average user, loading a photo or webpage would be around 40% faster on EE than the other networks.
That said, the choice isn’t as clear for a 3G only subscriber looking for the UK’s fastest speeds. EE still came out on top with an average 3G download speed of 5.6 Mbps but the difference with and between other providers is marginal. For instance, Vodafone registered 5.0 Mbps, 3 4.9 Mbps and O2 showed 4.7 Mbps.
EE 3G jitter and latency relatively high
EE’s 3G jitter and latency both show worse than average performance. Subscribers without the luxury of access to the top performing 4G network may be suffering from below average experience with application such as Skype.
For instance 3G jitter was registered at 10.51ms, worse than the UK median while latency registered 202 ms which is again worse than the average.
This may suggest that EE is investing more in newer 4G technologies rather than its existing 3G infrastructure. If this is in fact their strategy, it seems to be paying off and delivering a substantial 4G quality differentiator.
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About our testing
Tutela tests mobile networks by crowdsourcing anonymous sensor data from hundreds of millions of Android and iOS mobile users across the world. This enables us to collect billions of measurements every day and gain a real-world understanding of the mobile experience that mobile users are getting - not just in major towns & cities, but in all parts of the world.
Our testing methodology is designed to simulate typical user mobile behaviour, such as downloading a photograph or web page, rather than measuring the maximum performance, such as the peak download speed during a very large file transfer (which very few users will achieve) to provide a .
Learn more about our methodology at tutela.com/methodology