The latest testing by Ookla has revealed that Three Mobile has emerged as the leading provider for fast download speeds in the UK, surpassing its major competitors. Three secured the top position with an impressive average download speed of 214Mbps, outperforming other networks by a significant margin. In comparison to the UK fixed-line broadband average, Three’s speed is twice as fast, showcasing its strong performance.
Following Three in the rankings were Vodafone in second place and EE in third place, while O2 ranked lowest in terms of speed across all categories. Ookla’s Speedtest Award for Fastest Network in the United Kingdom for Q3–Q4 2025 confirmed Three’s position as the top-performing 5G network, based on its Speed Score that considers download and upload speeds along with latency metrics.
Key speed metrics from the Ookla results are as follows:
– Overall Speed Score: Three (53.46), Vodafone (43.05), EE (36.73), O2 (30.70)
– Median download speeds: Three (214Mbps), Vodafone (129.78Mbps), EE (97Mbps), O2 (78.92Mbps)
– Median upload speeds: Three (13.8Mbps), Vodafone (10.78Mbps), EE (10.96Mbps), O2 (8.28Mbps)
While acknowledging the challenges of testing mobile networks due to varying user locations and network conditions, the results position Three as the top performer. With the recent merger of Three and Vodafone, the newly formed VodafoneThree aims to enhance mobile network quality through a substantial £11 billion investment. The integration of the two networks using Multi-Operator Core Network technology is expected to offer improved coverage and performance for customers at no additional cost, potentially leading to better nationwide service.
