EE Retain Best Mobile Provider Crown in Connect’s 2024 UK Network Test
Connect has today published their annual UK Mobile Network Test 2024 study, which used a range of different benchmarks to test 4G (voice and data / broadband) and 5G service performance across 19 cities, 38 towns and along over 10,400km of major roads. Overall, EE managed to come top again, while O2 (VMO2) continued their trend of being bottom.
Both of the study’s drive tests and walk tests were this year conducted between October 31st to November 17th 2023 using Samsung Galaxy S23 Smartphones for each operator. Additionally, some of the walk test teams visited several cities and travelled on trains between them. The test area accounts for 17.7 million people, or approximately 26.5% of the total population of the United Kingdom.
On top of that, the company also harnessed crowdsourced data – collected over 24 weeks between May and November 2023. This reflected a total of “10,441 million” test samples, which were collected from mobile phone users in the UK – using various Smartphone apps with a special background diagnosis process.
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Overall, EE came top in all three of the data, crowd and voice service categories, scoring 882 out of 1,000 points (up from 878 last year), while Vodafone came second on a score of 809 (up from 775), Three UK scored 770 (up from 756) and O2 (VMO2) sat at the bottom again on just 700 (up from 676) points. But it was pleasing to see that all of the operators managed to improve their scores, with Vodafone being particularly notable in this regard.
Finally, this year’s report also took a closer look at 5G (mobile broadband) performance, where the results are more varied. But the assessment does not consider other aspects, such as 5G coverage or the latencies of 5G-only connections. That said, in this report, EE shows the highest average 5G data rates in the cities and on trains, while Three UK takes the lead in the P90 values (10 percent faster than) in the drivetests in cities, towns and on the roads.
Three is also ahead in the average data rates in towns and on the roads. In the cities, all operators show a strong 5G penetration, mostly with more than 75% of the areas covered by this technology. EE, Vodafone and O2 to some extent also use Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), but the share of samples is not very significant.
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Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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To be honest this doesn’t surprise me one bit, EE (for me) has been fantastic. Signal & reliability has been great. The one downside of EE is there prices and CPI prices rises contracts.
Looks like you get what you pay for!
You can use the EE network without price rice, 2 years contract, etc. Just use virtual operator, who use EE network, like Lycamobile.
@The Phone
I’ve tried Lyca mobile, there a nightmare. There eSim’s come as broken JPG in emails after purchase online and most times there payment system break and they take your money and if you email the customer service team, I never get a response.
@jammie1408 I had the exact same issue. I thought it was my mail provider, or an ad blocker or something! It took me more than a week to get it resolved. Customer care was useless. The first time I called, they just said wait 24 hours. Didn’t say why, just that I had to wait 24 hours. The only way I was able to get expedited help was by whinging on a public forum where they had some presence.
My brother got ruined by their hack and his phone pretty much didn’t work at all for several weeks and he was unable to port out.
No point using a good network if you can’t get the very basics right!
Switched from 1p to Lyca. Worst decision ever. 2G calls only, so lots of missed calls and calls that I struggle to make…
Going back to 1p soon, might keep Lyca for data only.
maybe the best but every time I enter some shop or building there is no reception ….
I can’t say I’ve ever had that issue where I am (Manchester). Just a couple of pubs that I couldnt get a signal in, very rarely.
It’s not even 2024 yet…
Talking about changes with EE, has anyone noticed that Ookla speed test reports connection as BT and not as usual EE, Since this change, my download speed has dropped from 100-150 mbits to less than 40 mbits over multiple time of day tests… Should we be worried?
Not seeing this myself, I’m getting 156 down and 81 up on 4G, reducing to maybe 65/70 when the schools kick out 3pm. (LON SE)
Interestingly 5G (in whatever guise) is slower, presumably not every site has 5G yet and so it’s thinly spread. The best 4G speeds encountered are at City Thames link- 500 down seen! (Time on my hands…)
Which crowdsourcing app are they using here? Is it OpenSignal?
I’ve been a contract EE user since 94 (in all of its guises!!) and it’s pretty good. But if you want it really on the cheap I’d recommend 1p mobile, amazing value- no Tube wifi the only downside possibly?
Rob, I am talking about a Northampton location, London has always been different in My opinion. a little history in my case.. Started with Plusnet (over EE) always good speed 100+mbs (4G) with the potential demise of Plusnet (on advice) moved to EE, again good speed often in excess of 100 Mbs (4g)
up to last month all Ookla tests showed EE as connection, now, December all tests across the day show less than 50 Mbs and source BT, I assume this is because the network feed now resides on some creepingly slow BT back end, not as before a more capable EE feed.
Interesting- Plusnet was always let down by the lack of VoLTE. Are you on an Essentials plan, maybe they’ve invoked the throttling to the lower speeds?! Or perhaps a site has gone down where you are. A high site has been removed near me in Bromley and it’s really hit that area in terms of speed and availability.
Cheers
Northampton, and no change of site as far as I know, 3rd day running tests still poor speed compared to “3” (100 mbits 4g+ NSA 5g) and even beaten by “O2” which was always crap (40 mbits 4g and NSA 5g)
Wonder which high site in Bromley, used to live there years ago, was actually born there !!
Im in north London and used all networks recently. Vodafone is probably the best in London. l problem with these tests is that they fail to test indoors so the test is only half true. On that basis EE is probably the best outdoors but it doesn’t have much low frequency masts even compared to B28 on three which is now widespread.
If I had to put my money on one network with national reliability indoor and outdoor including speed, I would consider three or Vodafone. Three has an amazing balanced 5g network so gets some extra points. It’s new B28 frequency is powerful!