PRESS RELEASE
- EE has been best for mobile internet and top overall in London since April 2013
- Also wins awards for reliability, speed and text performance; ties with Three for call performance
24 June, 2015: EE has maintained its lead as the top-performing mobile operator in London, according to RootMetrics, the standard for independent mobile network performance measurement. EE has ranked first in overall mobile network performance in the capital city since April 2013.
RootMetrics conducted 95,636 tests in London around the clock, indoors, outdoors, and whilst driving 2,448 miles to show consumers how the mobile networks perform in real-world situations. The following Overall RootScores bring together results from mobile internet, call, and text testing using smartphones purchased off the shelf from operator stores. The RootScores show how reliably and quickly each network performed across all the ways that you use your phone:
|
Ranking |
Operator |
Overall RootScore |
|
1 |
EE |
94.8 |
|
2 |
Three |
90.4 |
|
3 |
Vodafone |
88.6 |
|
3 |
O2 |
87.7 |
*Vodafone and O2 are statistically comparable
EE came top for mobile internet performance, a position it has held since April 2013 despite the growing footprint of competing 4G services. It also finished first in the RootMetrics speed index, which brings together results from mobile internet and text tests.
EE recorded the fastest median download speed in the capital at 25.4 Mbps and the fastest upload speed at 19.3 Mbps. At these speeds, it would take just two seconds to email a photo or download a song, and just four seconds to upload a video.
EE is the only mobile operator offering faster median download speeds than the average UK broadband speed, which Ofcom reports is 22.8 Mbps[i]. The other major operators recorded median download speeds of 10.6 Mbps (Vodafone), 8.7 Mbps (O2), and 7.0 Mbps (Three), and upload speeds of 6.9 Mbps (Vodafone), 6.2 Mbps (O2) and 2.9 Mbps (Three). Despite EE’s strong performance in the capital, its customers could still find superior speeds elsewhere, such as in Belfast where EE’s median download speed is 35.7 Mbps.
Before you can get the benefit of speed, however, your network must provide a reliable mobile experience. In the latest RootMetrics measurements of network reliability, EE ranked first outright with a RootScore of 96.1, followed by Three (94.7), Vodafone (90.2) and 02 (89.1).
EE completed its sweep of award wins among all performance categories, coming out top for text performance and tying with Three for call performance. O2 fell back to joint-third from joint-first for call performance since the last RootMetrics round of testing in the second half of 2014, with its rate of blocked calls increasing from 1.2% to 2.0%.
Bill Moore, CEO and President of RootMetrics said: “RootMetrics’ scouters drove thousands of miles to create the most comprehensive view of mobile performance in London ever delivered. It is clear that EE remains very strong in the UK’s capital city. The network won every category and has stayed ahead of the competition consistently over the past couple of years. With all networks now offering 4G services, consumers have never had more choice between networks and we hope this data will help inform their choices when selecting a network.”
Further information:
The full London RootScore Report is available on the RootMetrics website at http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/london/2015/1H, where you can also review the methodology behind the tests
The RootMetrics Online CoverageMap combines results from its professional tests with crowdsourced results to allow consumers to compare networks down to street level: http://webcoveragemap.rootmetrics.com/uk
About RootMetrics
RootMetrics is an independent company that, via its website and free smartphone application, provides free, unbiased maps and reports on mobile network performance across the UK.
RootMetrics measures network coverage, mobile internet speeds, email and web app usage, texting, and call success and failure rates for all of the major operators across all major cities and towns, using employees of RootMetrics to collect samples at randomly selected locations. A free-to-download mobile phone application allows consumers to view coverage near them and upload their own test results whether they are in an area that has been professionally tested or not. All of this information is put into easy-to-read on-line maps giving mobile phone users all the information they need to make informed decisions about the mobile phone company that’s right for them.
[i] http://media.ofcom.org.uk/news/2015/broadband-speeds-november2014/
