Britain’s leading mobile service providers have recently undergone testing, revealing that individuals seeking high-speed downloads for on-the-go streaming may want to consider switching to Three Mobile. Three Mobile has emerged as the top performer in the latest Ookla tests, surpassing its main competitors.
Three secured the top ranking due to its impressive overall speeds for users, with Ookla’s findings showing an average download speed of 214Mbps – a substantial 80Mbps faster than its closest rival. This speed also doubles the average fixed-line broadband speed in the UK, demonstrating remarkable performance. Vodafone claimed the second spot, followed by EE in third place, while O2 lagged behind with the slowest overall speeds.
Ookla confirmed these results, stating, “3 is the Fastest 5G Network in the United Kingdom, Q3–Q4 2025. The Speedtest Award for Fastest Network is based on Speed Score, offering a comprehensive measure of a network’s throughput and responsiveness by combining download and upload speeds with latency metrics.”
An overview of the Ookla results reveals:
– Three: Overall Speed Score of 53.46
– Vodafone: Overall Speed Score of 43.05
– EE: Overall Speed Score of 36.73
– O2: Overall Speed Score of 30.70
– Three: Median download speed of 214Mbps
– Vodafone: Median download speed of 129.78Mbps
– EE: Median download speed of 97Mbps
– O2: Median download speed of 78.92Mbps
– Three: Median upload speed of 13.8Mbps
– Vodafone: Median upload speed of 10.78Mbps
– EE: Median upload speed of 10.96Mbps
– O2: Median upload speed of 8.28Mbps
While these results highlight Three’s dominance, it’s important to note that testing mobile networks can be challenging, with speed readings potentially varying across different locations and times of the day. Nevertheless, Three’s position at the top is clear, and its performance may see further enhancements following its merger with Vodafone to create VodafoneThree, aiming to establish the UK’s premier mobile network through a substantial £11 billion investment.
Since the merger in May, the company has commenced the integration of the two networks using “Multi-Operator Core Network” technology. This integration enables Vodafone and Three customers to seamlessly connect to each other’s networks at no additional cost, potentially leading to broader coverage and improved performance nationwide.