Using over 600,000 real-world tests, Ookla has released the RootMetrics State of the Mobile Union report for the UK, covering mobile performance across all four nations and 16 major cities in the first half of 2026.

The analysis includes a deep dive by Lead Industry Analyst Luke Kehoe examining recent network developments and competitive dynamics in London.

Key takeaways include:

• EE, part of the BT family, continues to lead in UK-wide, nation, and metropolitan market testing:
  • EE won or shared every UK-wide RootScore Award, including its 26th consecutive UK Overall RootScore Award, marking more than a decade as the UK’s top overall network.
  • EE also won or shared 30 of 32 nation-level awards and all 128 Metro Area RootScore Awards, becoming the first operator to win or share every award across all 16 metro markets.
  • EE also earned the Best 5G Experience award.
• Virgin Media O2 increased its UK-wide median download speed from 44.1 Mbps in 2H 2025 to 54.7 Mbps in H1 2026, moving ahead of Three (48.1 Mbps).
  • In major cities, Virgin Media O2 showed improved high-end speed performance, recording median download speeds above 100 Mbps in six cities, up from three in 2H 2025.
  • The operator also shared the UK-wide Text RootScore Award.
• Three again shared the UK-wide Text RootScore Award while earning Text RootScore Awards in all 16 metropolitan markets.
  • The operator also earned three nation-level Text RootScore Awards. In major cities, Three registered median download speeds above 50 Mbps in all 16 markets tested, with speeds above 100 Mbps in one (Leicester).
• Vodafone increased its Metro Area RootScore Award total from seven in 2H 2025 to 24 in 1H 2026, the largest increase of any operator.
  • Vodafone also improved its high-end speed performance, recording median download speeds above 100 Mbps in five cities, up from two in H2 2025, and posted the largest city-level 5G availability gain, rising from 38.1 per cent in Coventry in H2 2025 to 54.6 per cent in H1 2026.

The study also shows that BT’s networks are delivering the nation’s best mobile and broadband connectivity at the same time. Ookla found the Full Fibre network that delivers both BT and EE broadband to be the best in the UK – producing the fastest real-world speeds and highest-quality gaming experience.

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Categories: Articles, Markets, MNO, Mobile

Tags: EE, mobile, Ookla, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone