A new study finds that Berlin delivers the best overall 5G mobile network performance among 10 major European capitals.
The extensive benchmark, carried out by network testing company MedUX, assessed 5G quality and speed in several of Europe’s largest cities.
Researchers drove more than 4,000 kilometres across 10 countries during 2023 to run network tests that measure the “Quality of Experience” for everyday consumers.
Berlin narrowly beat Milan to take first place, earning a near-perfect score of 4.69 out of 5. The German capital stood out for exceptionally fast 5G performance: typical web browsing sessions loaded in under 1,550 milliseconds, up to 25 percent faster than many of the other cities tested. Berlin also achieved top marks for streaming stability and time-to-play.
Although Berlin led in speed, Milan ranked highest for overall network reliability, recording a 99.91 percent success rate for data sessions. Barcelona followed closely with 99.82 percent. For comparison, Berlin placed fifth in session success rate at 99.56 percent, a margin small enough to be considered negligible.
Portugal showed the broadest 5G availability, with coverage exceeding 90 percent in Porto. Lisbon led in raw download performance, posting median speeds above 537 Mbps.
The report indicates that many continental European cities now outperform London in 5G capability; London ranked tenth overall in this analysis.
“Speed is not the critical factor, and the telecoms industry must adapt to meet the actual needs and priorities of the end user,” said MedUX Chief Marketing Officer Rafael González. “We expect operators to use these findings when planning, deploying, monitoring, and optimising 5G networks.”
With new rollouts of 5G Standalone (SA) networks underway across Europe, MedUX expects network quality to continue improving in the coming months.
The full report is available (registration required)
(Photo by Philippe Oursel on Unsplash)
See also: Ericsson, Qualcomm and BT conduct 5G SA network slicing trial
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