The latest tests conducted by Ookla have revealed that Three Mobile has emerged as the top performer among the major mobile providers in the UK when it comes to fast download speeds for on-the-go streaming. Three Mobile secured the first position in Ookla’s rankings due to its impressive average download speed of 214Mbps, surpassing its competitors by over 80Mbps. This speed is twice as fast as the average fixed-line broadband speed in the UK, making it a significant achievement. Vodafone claimed the second spot, followed by EE in third place, while O2 ranked at the bottom for delivering the slowest speeds overall.
Ookla confirmed these results by stating that Three is the fastest 5G network in the United Kingdom for Q3–Q4 2025. The Speedtest Award for Fastest Network is determined by the Speed Score, which evaluates a network’s throughput and responsiveness based on download and upload speeds along with latency metrics.
Here is a snapshot 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 varying user locations and network conditions, the results clearly position Three as the leading network. The merger between Vodafone and Three, forming VodafoneThree, aims to enhance mobile network capabilities with an £11 billion investment. Following the merger in May, the implementation of “Multi-Operator Core Network” technology enables seamless connectivity between Vodafone and Three networks at no additional cost, potentially improving coverage and performance nationwide.