5G Already Driving Noticeable UK Mobile Speed Improvements

Research by Global Wireless Solutions (GWS) shows that the accelerating rollout of 5G is already producing a noticeable improvement in mobile speeds across the UK.

GWS’s network scanner tests found 5G available in 37 percent of the 37 major cities, towns and motorways included in the study.

Throughput measurements reveal that average download speeds are nearly five times higher in areas where 5G is present. Across all operators, locations with 5G delivered average speeds of 150 Mbps compared with 33 Mbps where 5G was not available.

GWS highlights that overall network speeds rise substantially once a market reaches a certain level of 5G penetration. To reach an average baseline of 100 Mbps in a market, operators need roughly 40 percent 5G coverage in that area.

Only seven of the 32 tested cities and towns have reached that 40 percent threshold: London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool and Belfast. In each of these markets, only one operator has hit the baseline—Vodafone in four markets and EE in three.

As 5G coverage grows, higher average speeds become more consistent. For example, in Belfast EE delivered 102 Mbps overall with 41 percent 5G coverage, while in Manchester Vodafone recorded 166 Mbps overall with 70 percent 5G coverage.

Dr Paul Carter, CEO of Global Wireless Solutions, said:

“As next‑generation technology is added to networks in more locations and faster devices become widely available, customers’ expectations about reliability remain unchanged: they want a network they can trust to deliver the services they need. Our latest national testing points to encouraging progress for users with 5G‑capable phones. Deploying a network nationwide is not instantaneous and each operator will face its own challenges. While we’ve seen significant speed improvements from 5G, achieving predictable 5G coverage across whole cities and other areas will simply take time.”

Despite the expansion of 5G availability, most user traffic still relies on 4G. Although 5G was present in over one third of the tested markets, it was delivered to 5G‑enabled handsets only 23 percent of the time in cities, 8 percent in towns and 5 percent on motorways.

Few mainstream applications currently require 5G, so devices often remain on 4G to conserve battery life, particularly where 5G signals are weak. As a result, overall network reliability continues to matter more to most users than having 5G alone.

GWS’s OneScore network reliability testing shows O2 as the UK’s most reliable operator for the third consecutive year, topping the reliability ranking in 18 of the 37 locations tested:

A consumer survey commissioned by GWS reinforces the testing results, showing strong satisfaction among O2 customers. Eighty-four percent of O2 customers report being satisfied with home speeds, compared with 82 percent of Three and Vodafone customers and 78 percent of EE customers. During lockdown, 39 percent of O2 customers said they were “always satisfied” with network reliability, compared with 33 percent for EE, 31 percent for Vodafone and 30 percent for Three.

In the objective network reliability tests, EE followed O2 with wins in 16 locations, Vodafone led in three locations and Three did not top the reliability rankings in any tested area.

Among major cities, Liverpool emerged as the most reliable for mobile connectivity, while Nottingham ranked as the least reliable.

(Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash)