Best Mobile Network

There’s a lot to consider when picking a mobile network - coverage, speed, value and more besides, and none of it really matters if you don’t get a signal where you live or work.

So before jumping in with a network it’s best to weigh up all the pros and cons, and we’ve just made that a whole lot easier by laying them out for you, highlighting which is the best network across a number of categories.

Table of Contents Network Coverage Network Speeds Data Limits Roaming Tethering Business Added Extras Conclusion

Network Coverage

Network Coverage

Network	5G Coverage
EE	At least 94% Check Coverage
Three	At least 76% Check Coverage
O2	At least 86% Check Coverage
Vodafone	At least 77% Check Coverage

For a long time EE was well in the lead when it came to 4G coverage, but all of the networks now have almost complete 4G population coverage.

It’s hard to say for sure which networks are doing best here, as they don’t update their figures at the same time, so some will be more dated than others, but the good news is that whatever network you’re on there should be widespread 4G coverage.

However, we suspect that EE still has the greatest coverage overall, since it’s unlikely that it will have totally lost its lead. Its population coverage may be similar to rivals, but its geographic coverage is probably greater.

5G is even trickier to judge, and networks are constantly improving their 5G coverage, but for the chart above we’ve used an Ofcom report with data from January 2026. The percentages given are ‘high confidence’ of 5G for premises outdoors, while for geographic 5G coverage the percentages are rather lower – coming in at 56% for EE, 53% for O2, 27% for Three, and 23% for Vodafone.

Elsewhere, RootMetrics said in a report covering the second half of 2025 that EE and O2 have both topped 75% 5G availability, while Three has 66.1%, and Vodafone has 57.0%.

This then suggests that EE is in the lead, closely followed by O2.

Note however that this may soon swing to a win for Three and Vodafone, as these two networks have now merged, which is likely to lead to greatly increased coverage for them.

• Winner: EE

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Network Speeds

Standard 4G is around five times faster than 3G and all the networks offer that, but most go above and beyond with faster services such as LTE-A, and that’s before we get to 5G, which we’ll also look at.

In most tests, including ones by Opensignal, EE has been found to have the highest average 4G speeds in cities UK-wide.

Opensignal January 2026 (speeds) and Speedtest 2H 2025 (latency)

Network	Overall download / 5G download speeds (Mbps)	Loaded latency (ms)
EE	53.2 / 92.2	583.53
Three	51.0 / 187.0	405.93
Vodafone	37.5 / 130.9	449.16
O2	32.8 / 89.9	1039.19

The ‘overall’ speeds in the chart above mean the typical everyday speeds a user will experience across a network’s mobile data types – so 5G and 4G will both be factored in, and EE leads here – but given that it doesn’t lead for 5G speeds in most tests, that means it must have the fastest 4G.

Three meanwhile leads for loaded latency (the time it takes for a network to respond to a request when the connection is under heavy use) according to a Speedtest report from the second half of 2025, though Vodafone and EE are close there, with O2 trailing.

Of course, the networks are also rapidly growing their 5G services, though these aren’t available everywhere at the time of writing, and coverage is changing rapidly. There’s now a large amount of data on 5G speeds, with average download speeds for each network (from Opensignal as of January 2026) recorded in the chart above, and some key findings from a RootMetrics report in the second half of 2025 listed in the chart below.

Key takeaways of the data above then are that Three’s top and average 5G download speeds may be the highest, while EE has the top median speed and the second highest top speed, and Vodafone takes the second highest average speed. O2 comes last for all of these.

Ultimately all the networks are fast, but right now EE looks to be the best network for speed on 4G, while Three looks to marginally lead for 5G. That 5G lead will become ever more important over time, but with 4G still being the fastest option in a lot of locations, we’re calling this a tie for now.

• Winner: EE and Three

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Data limits

UK Networks Maximum Data Allowances

Network	Max data	Roaming
Three	Unlimited	12GB
Vodafone	Unlimited	25GB
O2	Unlimited	25GB
EE	Unlimited	50GB

For a long time Three was the clear winner in this category, as it was the only major UK network to offer unlimited data. Now though, its rivals have all started matching it, and even have it beat for roaming limits.

You should however be aware that some of the networks have fair usage limits even in the UK. On EE for example you can only use up to 600GB of data per month, and mustn’t tether more than 11 devices simultaneously. O2 is similar, but allows up to 650GB of data use, and Vodafone says you shouldn’t use more than 600GB twice or more in a six-month period.

Three is the only one that’s really restriction-free in the UK, but it allows the least data when roaming.

EE meanwhile has a slight edge for roaming limits, and therefore we’re calling this a tie between EE and Three.

• Winner: EE and Three

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​Roaming

UK Networks Roaming Destinations

Network	Free roaming regions on all plans	Free roaming regions on select plans
EE	0	47 or 85
Three	0	49, 71 or 163
Vodafone	0	52 or 84
O2	48	75 or 123

The data limits while roaming have been covered above – and give EE the edge, but what about where you can roam for free in the first place?

EE doesn’t let customers roam anywhere inclusively as standard, with a £2.72 daily charge to access allowances in 47 European destinations.

However, customers on an Essentials Plus or All Rounder plan will be able to roam in those destinations at no extra cost, and customers on a Full Works plan will additionally be able to use their allowances in 38 global destinations (for 85 destinations in total) for no daily charge.

Vodafone similarly will charge £2.75 per day to roam in Europe (with the lower prices being available if you buy an eight-day or 15-day roaming pass). However, those on ‘Plus’ and ‘Premier’ plans won’t have to pay, and those on the latter plan type extend the included roaming locations from 52 European destinations to 84 global ones.

As for Three, this network charges for roaming on its standard plans. In most cases the cost if you joined or upgraded on or after 18 December 2025 is £2.75 per day to use your allowances in Europe, and £8 per day for select locations outside Europe – with 163 destinations included in this scheme in all. Costs are slightly lower if you joined or upgraded prior to then.

However, roaming in 71 destinations is free of charge on Pay As You Go, and you can also roam inclusively in 49 European locations on Value plans, or in 163 global locations on Complete plans.

O2 meanwhile is the only one of the big four networks to offer inclusive roaming as standard, with 48 locations included, while select plans bump that up to either 75 or 123.

Note that the details above refer to new and upgrading customers – in some cases existing customers of these networks will still have access to free roaming until their next upgrade.

But as O2 is the only network that offers free roaming for everyone, it’s the clear and obvious winner here.

• Winner: O2

Tethering

Network Tethering Allowances

Network	Pay Monthly	SIM Only	Pay As You Go
Three	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Vodafone	600GB	600GB	600GB
O2	650GB	650GB	150GB
EE	600GB	600GB	600GB

Three is the only major UK network to offer truly unlimited data for tethering on all plan types.

O2, Vodafone, and EE meanwhile have fair use policies for tethering with unlimited data, though at either 650GB or 600GB they’re unlikely to be an issue.

• Winner: Three

Business

All of the major UK mobile networks have business tariffs and services and they all come with extra features to help them stand out.

For example, Three gives you a price promise that will see it beat major competitors by at least £1 per month. It also has a multibuy offer which charges less per SIM the more you buy.

With EE you can get a promise to keep you connected, even if you use up your data.

Vodafone meanwhile offers numerous cloud-based business apps, and O2 puts a focus on flexible tariffs, as well as offering additional benefits when you’re a customer of both O2 Business and Virgin Media Business.

These networks also support businesses of most sizes, so it largely comes down to personal preference as to which is best.

So this category is close. Ultimately though EE edges the win as the best network for business use due to its coverage, which we’ve rated elsewhere but which is even more vital for business users, who rely on 4G and 5G to work wherever they are.

• Winner: EE

Added extras

Each of the networks has its own ways to try and draw in customers and some rely heavily on extras above and beyond your phone contract. Vodafone has some of the most appealing extras, with Amazon Prime or Disney Plus subscriptions included on a variety of its plans.

Given that many people have and can make use of streaming service subscriptions, at least one of those is bound to be a great extra for almost anyone. And even if you don’t select a plan with those extras, you’ll still get access to Vodafone’s VeryMe Rewards app, which has discounts and offers from other brands.

EE meanwhile gives you access on some plans to ‘Inclusive Extras’, which let you choose a benefit from a selection including a Netflix Standard subscription with adverts, a Google One 2TB Premium subscription, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple One, TNT Sports on HBO Max, Netflix Premium, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, or Google AI Pro. The exact selection varies depending on the plan you choose. Its plans also include data gifting.

O2’s extras include various exclusive deals, offers and early ticket sales through O2 Priority, as well as automatic access to thousands of its free Wi-Fi hotspots across the UK. Some plans also come with a free subscription to your choice of Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Amazon Music, Audible, McAfee, or Cafeyn, for between three months and the life of the contract.

Finally, Three has the Three+ app, with offers and discounts from other brands. If you take out a Complete plan, then you’ll also get access to Paramount+ for the duration of your contract, and if you take a 24-month Complete device plan you’ll additionally get a free screen repair. Both Value and Complete plans also come with an up to 3-year extended warranty when taken with a device.

All of these networks offer some nice extras then, but – for sheer selection – we’d give EE and O2 the edge.

• Winner: O2 and EE

​Conclusion

There you have it then. EE wins or ties for the win in the coverage, speed, data limits, business, and extras categories, meaning it has five wins and therefore takes first place.

Three is in second place with wins or ties for three things, specifically speeds, data limits, and tethering.

Then there’s O2 with wins or ties for roaming and extras, and Vodafone with no wins.

However, in most categories the networks are all close and in some cases the winner is very subjective, so it’s worth making your own decision.

It’s also worth considering the many MVNOs which share their infrastructure. For more on that, check out the following guides:

• Who uses EE’s network?
• Who uses Three’s network?
• Who uses Vodafone’s network?
• Who uses O2’s network?