EE stays ahead in 2026 umlaut UK mobile network test as rivals improve

The latest umlaut connect UK Mobile Network Test for the 2026 cycle names EE as the best overall mobile network in the country, based on a mix of controlled 4G and 5G testing and crowdsourced measurements. Vodafone, Three and VMO2 (Virgin Media O2) follow behind, but all three show year-on-year improvements in the combined score.

The study compares the four national operators using Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones configured with “5G preferred”, so download and upload tests use 5G wherever it is available. The controlled measurements took place between 27 October and 8 November 2025, while the crowdsourced results draw on 24 weeks of real-world usage from late May to early November 2025.

EE leads the combined scoring for the eleventh year in a row

umlaut’s scoring model awards up to 1,000 points across three areas: voice, data and crowdsourced results. In this latest round, EE reaches 920 points in total, up from 913 in the previous report. Vodafone comes second on 808 points, followed closely by Three on 799 points and VMO2 on 768 points.

Looking at the stacked scores:

• Voice (maximum 270 points): EE 255, Vodafone 234, Three 221, VMO2 229.
• Data (maximum 480 points): EE 440, Vodafone 365, Three 364, VMO2 341.
• Crowd (maximum 250 points): EE 225, Vodafone 209, Three 214, VMO2 198.

EE leads all three categories, with a gap of more than 100 points to the next operator on the combined scale. However, the difference between Vodafone, Three and VMO2 is much narrower, and the ordering changes when you look at crowdsourced speeds alone.

Where and how the networks were tested

The controlled tests covered 16 major cities, 24 smaller towns and 10,170km of major roads. Walk test teams also travelled on trains between several cities to capture performance on busy rail routes. umlaut estimates that this test area includes about 16.7 million people, which is close to a quarter of the UK population.

For every operator, a dedicated Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra handset was placed in “5G preferred” mode. The teams then ran voice calls and a script of short data tasks, including a seven-second file download that forms the basis of the 5G speed table.

Alongside this, umlaut collected crowdsourced data from smartphone apps running a diagnostic process in the background. Over 24 weeks, this generated about 5.7 billion individual measurements from users across the UK, feeding into scores for coverage, speeds, latency, voice quality and success rates.

5G drive and walk tests – speeds and 5G availability

The report focuses on 5G samples only and shows both the proportion of tests carried over 5G and the average download speed in a seven-second download window. The table labels the speed column as “0 (Mbps)”, but in effect it is the average speed for that test scenario.

In city drive tests, the 5G results are:

• EE: 81.8% of samples on 5G, average download speed 355.1Mbps, fastest 10% of samples at 643.9Mbps.
• Vodafone: 60.1% on 5G, 267.9Mbps average, fastest 10% at 513.3Mbps.
• Three: 79.6% on 5G, 272.6Mbps average, fastest 10% at 640.0Mbps.
• VMO2: 89.6% on 5G, 168.0Mbps average, fastest 10% at 318.4Mbps.

In city walk tests, where devices spend a large share of time indoors, average 5G download speeds remain strong. EE records 327.0Mbps, Vodafone 198.0Mbps, Three 219.9Mbps and VMO2 126.1Mbps, with 5G availability between about 51% and 85% depending on the operator.

Towns, roads and railways show a similar pattern. EE typically keeps a strong balance of 5G availability and download speed, while Vodafone and Three often land in the mid-200Mbps range for average 5G download speeds in towns and on major roads when 5G is present. VMO2 often shows a high share of 5G samples on these routes but with lower average download speeds than its rivals.

The “10% faster than” figures, which show the speed reached by the fastest 10% of samples, underline how quickly 5G can perform in favourable conditions. On city and town routes, these figures often lie between about 375Mbps and more than 560Mbps for EE, Vodafone and Three, while VMO2’s fastest results are closer to the mid-300Mbps to mid-400Mbps range depending on location.

5G-DSS samples remain a smaller part of the picture

Below the main 5G table, umlaut separates out results for 5G-DSS (dynamic spectrum sharing). This technology allows operators to share spectrum between 4G and 5G devices. The “share” column here is much smaller than in the main 5G table, often in single-digit percentages, which indicates that pure 5G carriers now account for the bulk of 5G testing.

Average download speeds for 5G-DSS are generally lower than the equivalent pure 5G values, as you would expect when 5G shares bandwidth with 4G users. Vodafone and VMO2 show the highest proportion of 5G-DSS use in several scenarios, while EE and Three rely more on dedicated 5G spectrum in the areas tested.

Crowdsourced view of coverage and availability

The crowdsourcing data summarises how often users on each network have data service and how much of the country each network reaches.

Key results include:

• Coverage reach: EE 97.1%, Vodafone 96.1%, Three 94.9%, VMO2 97.4%.
• Time on mobile data (“Time on broadband” in the table): EE 99.1%, Vodafone 97.4%, Three 98.5%, VMO2 94.4%.

This suggests that all four networks provide extensive mobile data coverage, with VMO2 scoring marginally highest for geographical reach and EE recording the highest share of time where users have an active data connection.

Crowdsourced speeds – Three fastest on downloads, EE ahead on uploads

The same crowdsourced section shows clear differences in real-world speeds. For active data sessions, the average download speeds are:

• EE: 80.4Mbps.
• Vodafone: 63.4Mbps.
• Three: 108.7Mbps.
• VMO2: 58.1Mbps.

Three leads this set of results on average download speed, followed by EE, with Vodafone and VMO2 behind. The “90% / 10% faster than” columns indicate that the slowest 10% of samples fall to single-digit speeds on all networks, while the fastest 10% climb above 160Mbps on EE, Vodafone and VMO2 and above 300Mbps on Three.

For uploads, the picture changes again. Average upload speeds are:

• EE: 21.1Mbps.
• Vodafone: 15.2Mbps.
• Three: 18.3Mbps.
• VMO2: 12.7Mbps.

EE leads here, with Three second, and Vodafone and VMO2 behind. The lowest 10% of upload samples are in the 1.9–2.4Mbps range depending on operator, while the fastest 10% stretch from about 28Mbps to just under 50Mbps.

Speed classes for browsing and video

umlaut groups the crowdsourced results into basic and HD / UHD video classes to reflect the quality users can expect for common tasks.

For download usage, the “Basic Internet Class” covers tasks such as browsing and social media. Here, all four networks achieve high shares: 97.4% for EE, 96.8% for Vodafone, 97.0% for Three and 96.1% for VMO2.

The “HD Video Class / UHD Video Class” percentages are lower but still strong for most operators. EE records 91.5% for HD and 71.9% for UHD, Vodafone 87.3% / 59.0%, Three 89.5% / 66.9% and VMO2 85.5% / 54.9%. These figures suggest that a high proportion of usage on each network can support HD streaming, with EE and Three slightly ahead for UHD streaming capacity in this data set.

For uploads, which affect tasks such as sending photos or using video calls, the “Basic Internet Class” scores are 91.5% for EE, 91.8% for Vodafone, 90.3% for Three and 88.8% for VMO2. HD-level upload capability is lower but still significant, with 76.7% on EE, 72.8% on Vodafone, 70.3% on Three and 66.5% on VMO2.

Latency, voice quality and success rates

Latency is an important factor for online gaming and real-time voice or video services. umlaut’s crowdsourced latency results include a “Gaming Class / OTT Voice Class” pair of values, followed by a “Highend Gaming Class” share.

The gaming and OTT voice figures are:

• EE: 82.1% / 95.2%.
• Vodafone: 63.7% / 95.2%.
• Three: 70.1% / 94.8%.
• VMO2: 61.0% / 93.6%.

This indicates that a large majority of latency samples on all networks meet the thresholds for over-the-top voice services. EE and Three deliver the highest gaming-grade share in this table. For the stricter “high-end gaming” bracket, the shares are 6.8% for EE, 0.4% for Vodafone, 7.3% for Three and 2.0% for VMO2, reflecting the more demanding latency target.

Voice quality is measured through the proportion of voice usage that supports HD Voice. The results are high across all operators: EE 99.1%, Vodafone 94.6%, Three 98.7% and VMO2 93.7%.

Finally, the stability section tracks how often transactions complete successfully. Transaction success rates are 95.1% for EE, 93.5% for Vodafone, 93.1% for Three and 90.8% for VMO2, suggesting that most voice and data actions complete without failure on every network, with EE slightly ahead.

Year-on-year movement for each operator

The combined scoring shows that 2026 brings improvements for most operators compared with the previous umlaut report. EE’s total rises from 913 to 920 points, keeping it in first place. Vodafone’s overall score edges down from 815 to 808 points, though it remains second in the ranking. Three’s score climbs from 765 to 799 points, bringing it much closer to Vodafone, while VMO2 records the largest jump from 729 to 768 points.

The report also notes that VMO2’s score gain applies nationwide and in London specifically, reflecting recent investment in its 5G and 4G layers. Three’s stronger download speeds in the crowdsourced data underline its focus on capacity, while EE’s consistent showing across voice, data and crowd results helps it keep the overall lead.

What the 2026 umlaut results mean for UK mobile users

Taken together, the 2026 umlaut connect UK Mobile Network Test suggests that all four national networks now offer broad 4G and 5G coverage and can support everyday mobile broadband use for most users. EE retains a clear lead on the test scoring system by combining strong 5G performance, good upload speeds, high HD Voice availability and a very high share of time on mobile data.

Three’s crowdsourced results highlight particularly fast download speeds for everyday usage and good gaming latency scores. Vodafone remains competitive across all three categories despite a small fall in its combined score, while VMO2 shows the largest improvement compared with last year and strong measured coverage.

For consumers, the report is a useful benchmark of network quality across a large sample of cities, towns, roads and rail routes. However, the results still reflect averages. Individual experience will depend on local coverage, device support and how congested specific areas are at busy times, so postcode-level checks and short-term tests remain important before switching provider.