EE’s mobile network ranks first in connect’s Mobile Network Test 2023 in the United Kingdom, ahead of Vodafone, Three and O2. All operators show strong 5G coverage in cities. The benchmark measured each network's maximum data and voice performance in a series of drive tests and walk tests. The quality and performance of mobile connections that users actually experience was determined in a seven-month crowdsourcing test. The tests commissioned by the international telecommunications medium connect were conducted by the international infrastructure and benchmarking specialist umlaut, part of Accenture.
EE is “Best in Test” scoring 878 out of 1,000 points possible and received the overall grade “very good”. The operator provided the best voice performance in drive test scenarios. It also showed the highest call reliability in the drive tests in cities and towns.
Vodafone ranks second with a score of 775 and the overall grade “good.” The operator provided the best voice performance in walk test scenarios, the best voice performance and reliability in London, and, along with EE, the best voice reliability nationwide.
Three is on third place with 756 points and the overall grade “good”. The operator had the shortest call setup time in cities.
O2 came in fourth scoring 676 points and achieving the grade “satisfactory”.
Hannes Ruegheimer, editor at connect, concludes: “EE defended its 2021 number-one ranking and is the clear winner once again. Compared to last year, EE improved their performance by 14 points and Three by 17 points, while Vodafone's and O2's scores dropped 45 points and 39 points, respectively.”
Benchmark methodology
The drive tests and walk tests took place in inner-city areas, outer metropolitan and suburban areas, smaller towns and cities along connecting highways in November 2022. Four drive test cars traveled 19 cities and 40 towns covering 10,380 kilometers. The selected areas covered 17.37 million people, approximately 26% of the UK population. The crowd-sourced analyses are based on 2.6 billion data and voice connection samples gathered between May and November 2022, representing 99.3% of the built-up area of the UK and 99.8% of the UK population. The results of all three tests were thoroughly weighed to achieve a realistic and conclusive assessment of each network’s potential and performance.
connect’s independent mobile network tests, conducted by umlaut, provide a fair, transparent and neutral assessment and comparison of the networks' capabilities to customers, management and supervisory boards of mobile network operators. The assessment was first conducted in Germany more than 20 years ago and has since been extended to Austria, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It has become the de-facto industry standard for customer-perceived network quality.