Three named worst network for 4G coverage
A Which? study has named Three as the worst network in the UK for the provision of 4G services.
The Which? report is named the “State of Mobile Networks: UK” and has been carried out by the consumer group in conjunction with OpenSignal, the mobile coverage specialists. Data was analysed from 30,000 members of the mobile app offered by OpenSignal. The time that it takes to access the 4G service was examined.
It was discovered that 4G services are only available to Three network users less than 40% of the time. This was the worst performance of any of the networks. EE topped the chart with a figure of more than 60%. In second place was Vodafone at 57%, and O2 was in third place at 56%.
However, Three was able to offer the best download speeds of all the providers. Its speed was 18.7Mbps – a rise from last year’s average download speed of 12Mbps. The average speed offered by EE was 17.8Mbps. O2 was in third place with 12.1Mbps, while Vodafone had an average speed of 11.8Mbps.
Worldwide, it was found that 4G services were available to mobile phone users around 60% of the time, but in the UK, this figure was just 53%. The executive director of Which?, Richard Lloyd, has said that as the majority of people are now using a mobile phone service, it is important to improve the UK’s provision of 4G services. He is calling upon Ofcom to encourage providers to broaden their coverage.