The latest tests from Ookla have revealed that Three Mobile has emerged as the top choice for those seeking fast download speeds on the go among the major mobile providers in the UK. Three Mobile secured the leading position by delivering impressive overall speeds to its users, with an average download speed of 214Mbps, surpassing its closest competitor by more than 80Mbps. This speed is notably twice as fast as the average fixed-line broadband speed in the UK.
In the rankings, Three Mobile claimed the top spot, followed by Vodafone in second place and EE in third place. O2, on the other hand, ranked at the bottom across all categories, offering the slowest speeds overall according to Ookla’s findings.
Ookla confirmed the results by stating that Three is the fastest 5G network in the United Kingdom for Q3–Q4 2025, based on the Speedtest Award for Fastest Network, which considers Speed Score as a measure of network throughput and responsiveness, combining download and upload speeds with latency metrics to provide a comprehensive view of speed performance.
The Ookla results summarized:
– 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)
It is important to note that testing mobile networks can be challenging due to users’ constant movement between indoor and outdoor locations, fluctuating network conditions throughout the day, which may impact speed readings and make absolute accuracy difficult to achieve, as highlighted by ISPreview.
Despite the potential limitations, the results position Three Mobile at the forefront, with expectations of further enhancement in performance following its merger with Vodafone. The newly established VodafoneThree intends to revolutionize the UK’s mobile network with an £11 billion investment.
Since the merger in May, the company has initiated the integration of the two networks through Multi-Operator Core Network technology, enabling Vodafone and Three customers to seamlessly connect to each other’s networks at no additional cost. This initiative is anticipated to enhance coverage and performance nationwide.
