4G LTE network testing around London, 2015

Last year I put EE, O2 and Three to the test in central London to see how 4G was performing. I also tested 3G as not every network was able to offer 4G in the places visited.

At the time, Three was yet to launch its fledgling service to the general public so the results were based on a network with almost no 4G users, but also with very limited coverage.

Just over a year on, I returned to see how things have moved on now that every network has advanced their rollout strategies.

EE has been rolling out double speed, and even higher speeds in the future with Cat 6 and Cat 9 LTE support, while Vodafone has also been working to offer faster speeds in some areas. Three has since changed its plans to concentrate on using its 800MHz spectrum to provide most of its 4G coverage, and using 1800MHz in congested areas.

Four devices were used, which are all Cat 4 LTE compatible. They were: EE (LG G3), Three (Sony Xperia Z3), O2 (Sony Xperia Z1 Compact), Vodafone (HTC One M8).

There were some surprising results, including some slower speeds compared to last year that suggests central London might now be reaching a saturation point as more and more users are switching to 4G.

You can watch the video below to see the results for yourself, or look below for the results if you’re lazy (fastest speeds in bold)…

Hatfield, Hertfordshire

• EE 11.76 / 36.51
• Three 14.30 / 17.45
• O2 13.55/ 5.78
• Vodafone (3G) 9.65 / 1.40

Rail test

• EE 48.42 / 22.90
• Three 9.70 / 1.91
• O2 1.97 / 1.71
• Vodafone (3G) 2.24 / 0.86

Old Street

• EE 11.80 / 23.74
• Three 4.86 / 16.26
• O2 13.21 / 11.22
• Vodafone (3G) 4.47 / 1.27

Bus test

• EE 10.07 / 29.14
• Three 6.18 / 8.01
• O2 27.89 / 7.04
• Vodafone 11.18 / 12.31

Oxford Street

• EE 20.84 / 10.25
• Three 3.26 / 4.47
• O2 20.07 / 11.57
• Vodafone 16.13 / 8.58

King’s Cross

• EE 26.30 / 13.45
• Three 2.67 / 7.62
• O2 6.93 / 10.01
• Vodafone 8.44 / 11.14

Wembley Stadium

• EE 10.04 / 35.95
• Three 8.72 / 13.99
• O2 1.87 / 8.38
• Vodafone 5.74 / 8.01

See the January 2014 4G Test Video