{"id":42076,"date":"2019-11-20T10:55:35","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T18:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/get-involved\/gsma-membership\/gsma_resources\/the-state-of-mobile-5g-in-the-united-kingdom\/"},"modified":"2019-11-20T10:55:35","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T18:55:35","slug":"the-state-of-mobile-5g-in-the-united-kingdom","status":"publish","type":"gsma_theme_resources","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/get-involved\/gsma-membership\/gsma_resources\/the-state-of-mobile-5g-in-the-united-kingdom\/","title":{"rendered":"THE STATE OF MOBILE 5G IN THE UNITED KINGDOM"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mobile operators in the United Kingdom firmly embraced 5G in 2019, rolling out deployments in major cities across the nation. This has the potential to revolutionize speeds across the U.K., however, the 5G experience varies by country and operator. We took a close look at Speedtest\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0data from Q3 2019 to pinpoint where consumers are able to access 5G and which operators are offering the fastest speeds and lowest latency on 5G. In addition, we examined 4G performance, as the majority of mobile users in the U.K. still rely on 4G for mobile access.<\/p>\n

England leads the U.K. in 5G deployments<\/h2>\n

\"Ookla_UK_5G_Deployment_Map_1119\"
\nThe\u00a0Ookla 5G Map<\/a>TM<\/sup>\u00a0shows 5G deployments in 29 cities in the U.K. as of November 8, 2019. 5G is commercially available in 22 English cities including: London, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester and Wolverhampton. Three cities in Scotland have 5G access: Edinburgh, Glasgow and Paisley. Belfast is currently the only city in Northern Ireland with 5G, while Wales has three 5G cities: Cardiff, Llandudno and Penarth.<\/p>\n

5G results are more than 450% faster<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Comparing 5G Speeds to Speeds on all Mobile Technologies in the United Kingdom<\/b>
\nSpeedtest\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0Results | Q3 2019<\/span><\/center><\/div>\n<\/caption>\n
<\/th>\n5G Download (Mbps)<\/th>\n5G Upload (Mbps)<\/th>\nAll Mobile Download (Mbps)<\/th>\nAll Mobile Upload (Mbps)<\/th>\n% Change Download<\/th>\n% Change Upload<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
United Kingdom<\/td>\n176.00<\/td>\n19.24<\/td>\n31.23<\/td>\n11.25<\/td>\n463.6%<\/td>\n71.0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
England<\/td>\n177.41<\/td>\n19.35<\/td>\n32.22<\/td>\n11.37<\/td>\n450.6%<\/td>\n70.2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Northern Ireland<\/td>\n171.60<\/td>\n23.11<\/td>\n23.89<\/td>\n10.96<\/td>\n618.3%<\/td>\n110.9%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Scotland<\/td>\n175.05<\/td>\n15.76<\/td>\n30.66<\/td>\n11.38<\/td>\n470.9%<\/td>\n38.5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wales<\/td>\n176.69<\/td>\n18.25<\/td>\n30.69<\/td>\n10.50<\/td>\n475.7%<\/td>\n73.8%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

5G is the great leveler for speeds in the U.K., where it\u2019s available. Mean download speeds on 5G were uniformly high across the U.K., showing less than 6 Mbps difference between the fastest country (England) and the slowest (Northern Ireland).<\/p>\n

In most countries Speedtest results on 5G show download speeds 450-475% faster than those on all mobile technologies combined. 5G download speed in Northern Ireland represented an even more impressive 618.3% improvement, because the mean mobile download speed on all technologies is so much slower in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the U.K.<\/p>\n

EE leads 5G speeds at the country level<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
5G Speeds by Operator in the United Kingdom<\/b>
\nSpeedtest\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0Results | Q3 2019<\/span><\/center><\/div>\n<\/caption>\n
Operator<\/th>\n5G Download (Mbps)<\/th>\n5G Upload (Mbps)<\/th>\n5G latency (ms)<\/th>\n5G Top 10% Download (Mbps)<\/th>\n5G Top 10% Upload (Mbps)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
EE<\/td>\n205.02<\/td>\n19.17<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n359.66<\/td>\n34.85<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
O2<\/td>\n159.48<\/td>\n17.28<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n261.32<\/td>\n27.55<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vodafone<\/td>\n140.15<\/td>\n19.36<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n230.57<\/td>\n32.97<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

EE showed the fastest mean download speed over 5G in the U.K. during Q3 2019. O2 was second and Vodafone third. We have omitted Three from this analysis as they currently only offer 5G broadband, and this only in certain districts of London. Three\u2019s mobile 5G service is expected to be launched in the coming months. MVNO Virgin Mobile does not currently offer 5G.<\/p>\n

The rankings remained the same when we analyzed the top 10% of results to get a better picture of the upper bound of 5G performance. These top 10% figures represent the 90th percentile, where 10% of results are greater than or equal to that speed.<\/p>\n

Vodafone offered the lowest\u00a05G latency<\/a>\u00a0in the U.K. during Q3 2019, EE was second and O2 third.<\/p>\n

5G is rapidly evolving across the U.K. and each operator is taking a different approach. EE plans to launch 5G in\u00a0seven additional cities in 2019<\/a>. O2 is\u00a0adding 5G in 16 cities<\/a>\u00a0in 2019, while Three will have\u00a05G in 24 cities<\/a>\u00a0by the end of the year. Vodafone will\u00a0add seven cities to its 5G portfolio<\/a>\u00a0in 2019. Virgin Media will also be working with Vodafone to launch 5G,\u00a0potentially even in advance of fully switching to their network in 2021<\/a>. 5G will continue to expand in 2020 as Ofcom is\u00a0scheduled to auction additional spectrum for 5G<\/a>\u00a0in both the 700 MHz and 3.6-3.8 GHz bands in spring 2020.<\/p>\n

5G speeds vary by operator in the U.K.\u2019s capital cities<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
5G Speeds by Operator in the Capital Cities in the United Kingdom<\/b>
\nSpeedtest\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0Results | Q3 2019<\/span><\/center><\/div>\n<\/caption>\n
City<\/th>\nOperator<\/th>\n5G Download (Mbps)<\/th>\n5G Upload (Mbps)<\/th>\n5G latency (ms)<\/th>\n5G Top 10% Download (Mbps)<\/th>\n5G Top 10% Upload (Mbps)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Belfast<\/td>\nEE<\/td>\n193.55<\/td>\n24.15<\/td>\n50<\/td>\n355.76<\/td>\n45.58<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cardiff<\/td>\nVodafone<\/td>\n181.96<\/td>\n17.74<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n292.41<\/td>\n26.60<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cardiff<\/td>\nEE<\/td>\n168.47<\/td>\n18.27<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n296.04<\/td>\n30.37<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Edinburgh<\/td>\nEE<\/td>\n168.97<\/td>\n11.47<\/td>\n42<\/td>\n303.53<\/td>\n20.25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
London<\/td>\nEE<\/td>\n207.06<\/td>\n19.10<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n358.14<\/td>\n35.25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
London<\/td>\nO2<\/td>\n127.98<\/td>\n8.00<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n189.98<\/td>\n13.56<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
London<\/td>\nVodafone<\/td>\n115.92<\/td>\n20.23<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n184.20<\/td>\n37.10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Comparing 5G speeds by operator in the U.K.\u2019s capital cities, EE showed the fastest mean download speed on 5G in London in Q3 2019 and Vodafone demonstrated the fastest 5G download speed in Cardiff. We\u2019ve excluded O2 in Belfast and Edinburgh because they did not meet our minimum sample requirements during the period.<\/p>\n

EE tops 4G speeds in the U.K.<\/h2>\n

We supplemented our 5G analysis with a look at 4G as not everyone has access to 5G. This is because it\u2019s deployed on a city-by-city basis and requires 5G-capable phones to use.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
4G Speeds by Operator in the United Kingdom<\/b>
\nSpeedtest\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0Results | Q3 2019<\/span><\/center><\/div>\n<\/caption>\n
Operator<\/th>\n4G Download (Mbps)<\/th>\n4G Upload (Mbps)<\/th>\n4G latency (ms)<\/th>\n4G Top 10% Download (Mbps)<\/th>\n4G Top 10% Upload (Mbps)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
EE<\/td>\n42.91<\/td>\n12.69<\/td>\n41<\/td>\n91.71<\/td>\n29.39<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Virgin Mobile<\/td>\n35.67<\/td>\n13.12<\/td>\n45<\/td>\n67.45<\/td>\n29.73<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vodafone<\/td>\n33.32<\/td>\n12.92<\/td>\n38<\/td>\n75.76<\/td>\n25.57<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Three<\/td>\n24.11<\/td>\n11.49<\/td>\n51<\/td>\n54.17<\/td>\n23.87<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
O2<\/td>\n22.95<\/td>\n10.04<\/td>\n44<\/td>\n49.97<\/td>\n19.17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

EE had the fastest mean download speed over 4G during Q3 2019. Virgin Mobile was second, Vodafone third, Three fourth and O2 fifth. EE also had the fastest download speed when looking only at the top 10% of results. Vodafone had the lowest latency on 4G.<\/p>\n

While\u00a0we have seen faster 5G elsewhere in the world<\/a>, the number of U.K. cities with 5G and the rapid expansion of 5G deployments is impressive. We were particularly pleased to see how consistent 5G speeds were across countries, something that\u2019s been a pain point on 4G. We\u2019ll be excited to revisit this analysis as mobile operators continue to expand and improve 5G in the U.K.\u00a0Take a Speedtest<\/a>\u00a0and share your experience with us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mobile operators in the United Kingdom firmly embraced 5G in 2019, rolling out deployments in major cities across the nation. This has the potential to revolutionize speeds across the U.K., however, the 5G experience varies by country and operator. We took a close look at Speedtest\u00ae\u00a0data from Q3 2019 to pinpoint where consumers are able […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"image":null,"json":{"gsma_resources_type":"Press Release","gsma_resources_thumb":"[]","gsma_resources_file":"[]","gsma_resources_multi":null,"gsma_resources_wgr":null,"gsma_resources_video":null,"gsma_resources_image":"[]","gsma_resources_url":null,"gsma_resources_date":"18\/11\/2019","gsma_resources_button":"Download"}},"tags":[],"resource_categories":[],"algolia_discover_type":[9668],"class_list":["post-42076","gsma_theme_resources","type-gsma_theme_resources","status-publish","hentry","algolia_discover_type-resource"],"yoast_head":"\nTHE STATE OF MOBILE 5G IN THE UNITED KINGDOM - Membership<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/get-involved\/gsma-membership\/gsma_resources\/the-state-of-mobile-5g-in-the-united-kingdom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"THE STATE OF MOBILE 5G IN THE UNITED KINGDOM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mobile operators in the United Kingdom firmly embraced 5G in 2019, rolling out deployments in major cities across the nation. 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