London has the slowest 4G speed in Britain

London has the slowest 4G network among other parts of the UK.

New data from the OpenSignal "State of Mobile Networks: UK" report , produced in association with Which?, found that while mobile users in London can access 4G signal 69.7% of the time, the average download speed in the capital is just 18.8Mbps.

By comparison, Wales is the worst region for accessibility in the UK, with users only able to connect to 4G 35.4% of the time. However, when they do manage to get a signal, the average download speed is 21.7Mbps.

4G users in Northern Ireland get the best average download speed of 23.3Mbps, but they only get a signal 58.5% of the time.

The report's findings are taken from 500 million tests conducted through an OpenSignal app by more than 28,000 smartphone users.

According to Alex Neill, Managing Director of Home & Legal at Which?, mobile providers need to do more to improve their networks if they are to provide greater access to their customers.

"This latest research confirms that the rest of the UK is lagging behind London when it comes to accessing 4G signal," he said.

OpenSignal also reviewed the performance of the four major mobile providers in the UK (Three, EE, O2 and Vodafone) and found EE leading the field for both 4G speed and accessibility.

Three came last with users only able to access 4G on average 44% of the time. However, the average download speed was a respectable 24.5Mbps.

"Mobile data speeds, both 4G and overall, were consistently fast in our tests throughout the country. But there definitely are still some areas in which the UK needs to improve," said Brendan Gill, CEO and co-founder of OpenSignal.

The full results of the study are as follows:

Regional data for 4G speed/availability

• London: Average 4G availability - 69.7%; average 4G speed - 18.8Mbps.


• Yorkshire & Humberside: Average 4G availability - 61.3%; average 4G speed - 22.8Mbps.


• North East: Average 4G availability - 60.3%; average 4G speed - 20.1Mbps.


• Northern Ireland: Average 4G availability - 58.5%; average 4G speed - 23.3Mbps.


• North West: Average 4G availability - 54.8%; average 4G speed - 20.6Mbps.


• South East: Average 4G availability - 54.3%; average 4G speed - 21.9Mbps.


• West Midlands: Average 4G availability - 52.3%; average 4G speed - 21.6Mbps.


• Scotland: Average 4G availability - 50.4%; average 4G speed - 21.1Mbps.


• East Midlands: Average 4G availability - 49.9%; average 4G speed - 22.8Mbps.


• East of England: Average 4G availability - 48.9%; average 4G speed - 22.3Mbps.


• South West: Average 4G availability - 45.7%; average 4G speed - 20.9Mbps.


• Wales: Average 4G availability - 35.4%; average 4G speed - 21.7Mbps.

Networks 4G Speed/availability in the UK

• 3 : Average 4G availability - 43.7%; average 4G speed - 24.5Mbps.


• EE: Average 4G availability - 64.1%; average 4G speed - 28Mbps.


• O2: Average 4G availability - 60.0%; average 4G speed - 16.2Mbps.


• Vodafone: Average 4G availability - 60.1%; average 4G speed - 18Mbps.

SHARE THIS