H1 2019 – UK Top 10 Fastest National Broadband and Mobile ISPs

Before moving on to mobile operators we’re going to examine how some of the more established alternative network (AltNet) providers – those that have built their own physically separate networks – compare with the mainstream national ISPs. Sadly most altnets only have comparatively niche network coverage and limited speedtest data, which means that at present we can only summarise a few.

Excluding KCOM, which continue to have a large proportion of customers on older copper line services in East Yorkshire, almost all of the altnets below tend to exclusively build “full fibre” (FTTP) infrastructure, which is capable of offering Gigabit (1Gbps) class broadband speeds. We should add that the results for Wessex Internet cover both their fixed wireless and FTTP network.

The performance scores recorded below may of course be lower due to all of the data caveats mentioned earlier (slow Wi-Fi, package choice etc.). In order to save space we’ve also adopted a slightly different table format by sticking the 2019 H1 and 2018 H2 results side-by-side in the same columns. NOTE: DL = Download, UP = Upload.

Altnets by Average Speed (2019 H1 vs 2018 H2)

Clearly nearly all of these altnets are delivering better speeds than the largest national providers above and it will probably stay that way until general FTTP availability improves. The government’s ambition is for “nationwide” coverage of “full fibre” networks by 2033.

Meanwhile we consider B4RN to be somewhat of an anomaly this time around (their score is way below what we know their network can actually deliver). Unusual variations in performance like this tend to be created by very small test samples and possibly the impact of weak WiFi connectivity. This is particularly odd since B4RN’s only package is a 1Gbps service, while the other ISPs all offer a choice of slower plans.

The Fastest Mobile Operators (H1 2019)

Accurately gauging performance on the four largest mobile network operators is perhaps an unrealistic expectation due to the very variable nature of the technology. Users of such services are always moving through different areas (indoor, outdoor, underground etc.) and the environment around them (weather, trees, buildings etc.) is similarly changeable.

Suffice to say that studies of mobile broadband performance should be considered open to variation, although the top networks tend to be those with a combination of the best 4G coverage, a good amount of radio spectrum and the most advanced technology (e.g. LTE-Advanced and Carrier Aggregation for harnessing multiple spectrum bands).

Right now EE, which claims to have the strongest level of geographic UK network coverage (around 91% and aiming for 95% by the end of 2020), is in the best position with regards to those aforementioned strengths. However this may start to change later in 2019 as the first commercial deployments of ultrafast 5G technology start to have an impact, but that will take several years to roll-out.

Average Mobile Download Speeds

Average Mobile Upload Speeds

Overall the average download speed of the four primary mobile operators was 22.45Mbps (up from 21.4Mbps at the end of 2018) and the average upload speed hit 5.53Mbps (up from 4.85Mbps). However the biggest change over the past 6 months appears to stem from bottom dwelling O2, which may be starting to benefit from its recent rollout of the new 2.3GHz band for 4G services (here).

As usual we must caveat that mobile services are subject to the daily movements and radically differing hardware choices (Smartphones etc.) of their end-users, as well as the different spectrum bands and network capacity available to any specific area or operator. All of this makes it painfully difficult to establish a reliable picture of performance.

We should point out that the current government has told all operators to deliver 95% geographic mobile coverage by the end of 2022 (here), although they didn’t specifically name drop 4G connectivity. A number of solutions to help achieve this (e.g. the Single Rural Network) are being considered and Ofcom’s forthcoming auction of the 700MHz band looks set to include new coverage obligations (here) but these are not yet set in stone.

Overall we do not consider the above speedtest based data – either for mobile or fixed lines – to be a reliable barometer for individual users, but it can help to highlight general changes in the market. The ever expanding reach of faster networks and take-up means that we will continue to see a general upward curve as consumers upgrade to use ever faster services.