A new study from umlaut (formerly P3), which examined the performance of 5G based mobile broadband networks across London, has found that Vodafone delivered the best overall performance across the capital city. The operator also hit the highest average download of 215.2Mbps, but they were beaten on uploads by EE.
We should point out that the research does have some big caveats, such as the fact that it was conducted using only a moving vehicle (in-vehicle drivetest) in June 2020 (15th to 20th), which means they won’t have been able to properly reflect areas with high footfall, where access by car may be restricted.
We also don’t know how many tests were conducted, only that the drivetest covered 1000+ km and a Samsung Galaxy S10 was used. Likewise, no attempt seems to have been made to measure the different levels of network availability (e.g. time on 5G vs time on 4G), which would have been useful for some context.
Otherwise Vodafone showed better data performance in London than the competition when using a 5G capable device, leading in all measured data services. When only 5G samples are considered (i.e. excluding 3G, 4G etc.), Vodafone’s lead increases.
For example, for session reliability across all technologies Vodafone scored 97.9%, which rises to 99.7% on 5G-only. You can see a summary of the full results below.
Vodafone’s Consumer Director, Max Taylor, said:
“The results from this report show that our customers are getting the best 5G experience and that our investment in our network is really paying off. In London, our network is the most reliable, and is delivering on the promise of 5G download speeds. Every day we’re bringing this great 5G experience to more customers around the UK.
We’re making sure Vodafone is the best place to come for the latest smartphones – a great network, with great benefits, and great value.”
The full results are below.
Yeah London.. Where the world seems to start and end.
Meanwhile in Space 3mbps on a good day is the best I can get..
“only that the drive test covered 1000+ km”
Thats either some awesome 5g range or he was driving in circles round a greater London McDonalds car park.
meanwhile, I get barely 10 meg on 3G
What’s happening in India with vodaphone network
Sorry 5G in the UK is fake 5G. Real 5G is using mmWave which we don’t have here. Don’t waste your money with 5G until mmWave has been deployed.
Get real, if you want to be sitting on the transmitter to get a signal then mmWave (24 to 40GHz bands) is great but most people will survive OK with sub-6GHz bands
Sunjayss got a good point actually. The specs look like it’d be completely pointless installing the 5g Lite version without the mmWave tech.
“The fastest 5G is known as mmWave. As of July 3, 2019, mmWave had a top speed of 1.8 Gbit/s on AT&T’s 5G network. Sub-6 GHz 5G (mid-band 5G), by far the most common, will usually deliver between 100 and 400 Mbit/s, but will have a much farther reach than mmWave, especially outdoors.”
Lets hope they steer clear of 60ghz though! 😉
I just hope one provider gets all the 700Mhz frequencies in the upcoming auction, then those in rural UK may see better 5G speeds
How many safety tests have been done on 5G? That’s the question to ask. Answer is none