Published in Mobiles

4G slows down in UK

by on06 November 2014

Will be like 3G soon

It looks like the UK’s 4G network is not up to snuff and new figures show that it has slowed down dramatically.

The average speed of 4G connections in the UK has almost halved in the past year. Research, conducted by OpenSignal and consumer watchdog Which found that the average speed of 4G connections had fallen from around 19Mbits/sec in September 2013 to just over 10Mbits/sec by August 2014.

OpenSignal uses an app installed on 40,000 users' smartphones to record actual throughput. 4G is still twice as fast as 3G, but if 4G continues its downward trajectory it's debatable whether there will be any noticeable difference between the speeds of the two networks by this time next year.

Vodafone had the fastest average 4G speeds of any network, clocking in at 13.21Mbits/sec. EE was pegged at 11.78Mbits/sec, O2 at 10.5Mbits/sec and Three at 8.95Mbits/sec. The only problem is that Vodafone doesn't have the most widespread coverage.

An EE customer spends just over half their time connected to 4G, according to OpenSignal, while Vodafone customers are only on 4G for 38 percent of the time. Three customers spend just a fifth of their time connected to 4G, although Three does have better 3G coverage and performance than any of its rivals.

Rate this item
(0 votes)

Read more about: