SignalTracker Compares Performance of UK Mobile Operators to Virtual Siblings

A new study from SignalTracker, which runs a popular Android mobile app (not iOS) for monitoring and examining mobile network performance, has revealed the results of a study into the speed differences between the UK’s primary mobile operators (MNO) and their virtual operator (MVNO) siblings. Unsurprisingly, EE, Vodafone, Three UK and O2 outperformed mvnos.

Many people tend to make the mistake of assuming that a virtual mobile operator will typically performance about the same as their parent network (mobile broadband speeds etc.), which is a logical assumption given how they harness the same underlying network(s). But the reality is often more complex.

For example, virtual operators don’t always gain immediate access to the latest features from their parents (5G Standalone, Wi-Fi Calling etc.), which will vary and depends on the agreements they’ve signed. In addition, there can also be other differences in terms of how network traffic is managed, capped or setup (either imposed by the MNO or directly by the MVNO); such details tend to be very opaque for consumers and are thus hard to assess.

Lest we forget that mobile performance, in general, remains a stubbornly difficult thing to study because end-users are always moving through different areas (indoor, outdoor and underground), using different devices with different capabilities and the surrounding environment is ever changeable (weather, trees, buildings etc.). And that’s before we consider any differences in network (backhaul) capacity or spectrum use between locations.

What did SignalTracker find?

The figures quoted below come from more than 40,000 speed tests carried using the SignalTracker app between March 2025 to August 2025. Each network was tested across three different environments: rural, suburban and urban. Some of the tests were carried out while the phone was stationary, but most were collected in motion while either walking, cycling or in a car.

Leaving aside the fact that all of the aforementioned points tend to complicate any attempt at making performance comparisons between MVNOs and MNOs. The new study did broadly reach the same conclusion as one that Opensignal conducted a few months earlier (here) – parent networks (MNOs) generally perform better than their partner MVNOs.

However, the differences were said to be “relatively small” and, in some comparisons, Lebara and Vodafone namely, MVNOs actually still score better than their parent network. On the flip side, Three UK and O2 were found to be “considerably faster” than their partner MVNOs.

In terms of reliability, the study found that MVNOs were more likely to suffer failed tests than MNOs. When the latter metric is taken into account, MNOs offer a better service even though their download speeds are very similar.

In the case of Vodafone, the study experienced test failure in 1% of cases across their urban and rural test areas. On its MVNO Lebara, this rose to 24% and 19%. More noticeable was the difference between O2 and giffgaff, with only a 4% average test failure across all O2 tests versus 43% average test failure on giffgaff – close to half.

Key Findings

1. Parent networks (MNOs) generally perform better than their partner MVNOs – When the download speeds achieved are balanced against the number of failed tests. However, the differences are relatively small and, in some comparisons, Lebara and Vodafone namely, MVNOs score better than their parent network.

2. Performance differences between MVNOs and MNO may not be noticeable to users – Most download speed are >20 Mbps: speeds above this are hard to distinguish in everyday usage. However, in some circumstances failure rates will be more noticeable.

3. The performance gap between MNOs and MVNOs varies – Some MVNOs like Lycamobile have similar performance to their parent, but for others like iD the performance is much worse than Three.

4. Performance across area types can be inconsistent – e.g. In the South London suburbs, the performance of O2 and Giffgaff is closely matched but in the Birmingham suburbs O2 is far superior

5. Band usage explains some MNO/MVNO speed differences – iD has slower speeds than its network host, Three, because it lacks the same access to the best performing bands. But for the other pairings band usage profiles do not significantly influence performance.

6. MVNOs are usually better value – Although MVNO’s performance is not quite as good overall, customers are unlikely to notice the difference in service.

7. 5G Standalone makes a big difference – No UK MVNO currently has access to 5G Standalone, the fastest version of the 5G network. This access to the fastest speeds is one of the key selling points of MNOs and for the customer willing to spend, it could be what seals the deal.

The full report includes a fair bit more detail, although it didn’t test things like upload speeds or network latency times, and we would have liked to see the study being expanded to include some additional MVNOs.