Ofcom's new ‘Mobile Matters' research
report, published today, puts people's experiences of
using mobile networks across the UK under the microscope, based
on crowdsourced data collected between October 2024 and March
2025 by Opensignal.
Our analysis showed that 71% (a year-on-year decrease of 7
percentage points) of cellular network connections were on 4G,
28% on 5G (a year-on-year increase of 9 percentage points), 0.7%
on 3G and just 0.2% on 2G. In urban areas of the UK, 29% of
network connections were on 5G compared to 19% in rural areas.
On average, 5G connections were consistently faster for file
downloads. For example, downloading a 2MB file – such as a photo
or short low-resolution video – takes 0.3 seconds on 5G, compared
to 0.7 seconds on 4G and 4.9 seconds on 3G.
5G developing at pace
One of the recent developments in mobile networks is the launch
of 5G standalone (5G SA) services - a 5G network where the core
network infrastructure is built specifically for 5G, rather than
relying on an existing 4G network. Overall, 2% of network
connections were over 5G SA.
In the last year, 5G SA roll-out has gained momentum. Following
Vodafone's launch in 2023, O2 and EE have followed suit and began
rolling out their 5G SA networks in 2024. Three is yet to launch.
Our analysis showed that 5G SA provided significantly higher
download speeds than non-standalone 5G, with file download times
about 45% faster on average. Standalone 5G also has lower
latency.
However, our analysis also indicated that 5G SA had a lower
average connection success rate (96%) than non-standalone 5G
connections (98%).
Comparing the Mobile Network Operators
EE had the highest proportion of network connections on 5G (32%).
Vodafone had the lowest for 5G (24%), but the highest share on 4G
(76%). O2 had the lowest share of 4G connections (68%) and the
highest proportion on 3G (3%).
Three had the shortest download times for files over 5G, followed
by Vodafone. While EE was fastest over 4G. O2 had the lowest
proportion of connections with a 100 Mbit/s or higher download
speed over both 5G (33%) and 4G (4%).
Three had the lowest (best) latency level over 5G, while EE's was
the lowest over 4G. O2's average response times were slightly
higher than the other networks on both 5G and 4G, although they
were still sufficient to give a good user experience for even the
most demanding online activities.
Map Your Mobile today
Want to find out what the best mobile coverage is in your area?
Ofcom's free mobile coverage checker, Map
Your Mobile, is the most comprehensive tool for comparing mobile
coverage and performance to be made available in the UK.
The service allows people to enter their postcode and obtain a
local map of which networks are available, together with data
showing which operator's network gives the best performance for
their postal district, which is based on the same Opensignal data
that is used for the Mobile Matters report.
