The recent speed tests conducted by Ookla have revealed that Three Mobile has emerged as the leading provider in the UK for fast download speeds, surpassing its competitors. Three secured the top position with an average download speed of 214Mbps, outperforming its closest rival by over 80Mbps. This speed is twice as fast as the average fixed-line broadband speed in the UK.
Following Three, Vodafone claimed the second spot, with EE coming in third. On the other hand, O2 ranked last in terms of speed across all categories, offering the slowest speeds overall.
Ookla confirmed these results by declaring Three as the fastest 5G network in the United Kingdom for the third and fourth quarters of 2025. The Speedtest Award for Fastest Network is determined by a network’s Speed Score, which evaluates throughput and responsiveness based on download and upload speeds along with latency metrics.
Here is a quick overview of the Ookla results:
– Overall Speed Score:
– Three: 53.46
– Vodafone: 43.05
– EE: 36.73
– O2: 30.70
– Median download speeds:
– Three: 214Mbps
– Vodafone: 129.78Mbps
– EE: 97Mbps
– O2: 78.92Mbps
– Median upload speeds:
– Three: 13.8Mbps
– Vodafone: 10.78Mbps
– EE: 10.96Mbps
– O2: 8.28Mbps
Despite the challenges of accurately testing mobile networks due to users’ constant movement and changing network conditions, Three’s performance stood out in the tests. The merger of Three with Vodafone is expected to further enhance network performance, with plans to invest £11 billion in building the UK’s best mobile network.
Since the merger, the integration of both networks has commenced using Multi-Operator Core Network technology. This integration allows customers of Vodafone and Three to seamlessly connect to each other’s networks without any additional charges, potentially resulting in wider coverage and improved performance nationwide.