- New research analysing the consumer mobile experience finds EE is the UK’s most reliable network for customers.
- Rankings also show EE has regained the award for the UK’s best 5G experience following improvements in the availability of its 5G network in the last six months.
- EE retains its crown as the UK’s best network for an 11th year in a row, demonstrably providing the best network for video streaming and mobile gaming.
Independent testing of the everyday mobile experience across the UK has demonstrated EE is the most reliable network for mobile customers, being named the UK’s best network for a record 11th year in a row.
To provide a robust and definitive picture of the performance of all four of the UK’s mobile network operators – EE, Three, O2 and Vodafone – RootMetrics® analysts have conducted more than 625,000 tests across every region of the country in the last six months, including the sixteen largest UK cities and more than 22,000 miles of roads.
These tests examined the mobile network experience in real-life situations in a variety of locations and scenarios using a Samsung Galaxy S23 smartphone. EE was found to deliver:
- 47% less call setup failures than any other network 1
- 33% more high-speed data downloads (above 25Mbps) than any other network 2
- The most reliable network for mobile internet connections 3
Marc Allera, Chief Executive Officer at EE, said: “The average internet user in the UK spends more than six hours every day online, using multiple connected devices. This makes having reliable connectivity at home and on the move more important than ever. This research gives every person in the UK a trusted source of insight into the performance of all mobile operators, including in the busiest cities where we all compete every day to provide the most reliable experience.
“With that in mind, for EE to be crowned the UK’s best mobile network for eleven years in a row is a remarkable achievement. We’ve worked tirelessly to deliver the fastest and most reliable mobile network in the UK and we will continue to put network quality at the heart of our customer experience.”
A recent separate piece of research from Farrpoint demonstrated the social and economic value of reliable connectivity to communities across the UK, especially in rural areas – making EE’s performance in RootMetrics® UK-wide reliability testing even more important.
5G for neighbourhoods and nations
When analysing 5G performance across the UK, RootMetrics® testing focuses on two main criteria: network availability and performance. The results found EE provided the best 5G experience across the UK, with its 5G availability increasing 8.5% in the last six months and its 5G network delivering 50% faster download speeds for the widest number of consumers. 4
EE’s 5G network now provides coverage to more than 78% of the entire UK population and has been made available in a further 1,531 locations – from rural Scotland to central London – since the end of 2023. This includes major event venues such as Wembley Stadium, Murrayfield, Vicarage Road and Villa Park.
This expansion in network availability is part of EE’s ambition to offer a 5G connection anywhere in the UK by 2028.
Taking mobile gaming to the next level
More than 32% of consumers in the UK state that mobile is their top gaming platform 5, making it one of the fastest growing areas for RootMetrics® to analyse. Its testing focuses on core network connectivity issues that create the optimal gaming experience, including latency, packet loss, jitter and download speed.
The results found:
- EE has the fastest UK-wide average download speeds (79.8 Mbps)
- EE had the lowest packet loss among all operators in the UK at just 1.8%.
- EE’s jitter rate of 0.03 milliseconds will deliver a smooth and responsive mobile gaming experience.
The fight for first
The mobile industry in the UK is one of the most competitive in the world. To understand which network is living up to its claims, RootMetrics H1 2024 test results are available to read in full here: rootmetrics.com/en-GB/content/uk-mobile-performance-review-1h-2024
Here is a snapshot of the network awards EE has won following the independent testing conducted by RootMetrics® throughout the UK:
1. The UK’s best network for 11 years in a row
2. The UK’s most reliable network
3. The UK’s fastest network
4. The UK’s best 5G experience
5. The UK’s best network for mobile gaming
6. The UK’s most reliable network for mobile gaming
7. The UK’s best network for video
8. The UK’s best network for calls and data
9. The UK’s most accessible network
10. The best network performance in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
11. The best network performance in 16 of the largest cities in the UK
– ENDS –
Source: EE Newsroom
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