Virgin Media O2, EE top GWS UK connectivity experience study

A study from independent wireless insights consulting firm GWS has pinpointed Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) as offering the country’s best combined connectivity experience for its broadband and mobile experience.

The study collected data from 1 December 2023 to 31 May 2024 from an opt-in consumer panel of just over 6,000 participants of real-life users who use their phones and tablet devices as normal throughout the day. GWS conducted a series of tests in the background, measuring and analysing mobile and ISP broadband network performance involving download and upload available throughputs, delivered throughputs, latency, reliability, packet loss and video streaming – such as resolution, freezing and loading.

In total, GWS collected 573 million data points and conducted over 1.5 million tests during the six-month test period to determine the results. Tests were run at random times, seven days a week, on both mobile and Wi-Fi networks. For the Combined Connectivity Experience Award, scoring was based only on tests from a mobile network and that operator’s broadband partner.

Looking at general trends, app engagement data collected by GWS showed UK consumers spend nearly one-third of their waking day on their smartphones, and most of that time (78%) is spent on Wi-Fi networks. In addition, a typical household was found to have between 13 and 14 different connected devices, with examples including smartphones, tablets, laptops, game consoles, smart TVs, smart appliances and security cameras.

Looking at mobile devices specifically (smartphones and tablets), households typically have at least four connected. Over half of all households say the majority of the members in their house use the internet simultaneously for more than five hours a day, showing the importance of stable and fast broadband connections for hybrid work.

Looking at the companies offering the best experiences, VMO2 topped two categories for best broadband and best combined connectivity, with EE coming top for best mobile experience.

Looking at broadband performance test results, VMO2 edged out Vodafone Broadband and then TalkTalk, Sky Broadband and EE, offering throughput of over 170Mbp to users. Vodafone broadband provided less than half the throughput, over 75Mbps, illustrating, said GWS, a significant divide in performance regarding download throughput. VMO2 also performed best in video streaming, finishing top with best resolution and quickest time to load.

GWS’s test results for mobile showed that operators were managing the everyday throughput requirements for consumers due to the fact that the apps they use require far less throughput from the mobile network than what the network is capable of providing. In contrast, broadband requires much higher throughputs due to the number of devices accessing the network at any one point in time from the same household.

The study showed EE provided the best mobile experience by a major operator in the UK, performing top in most of the test categories, including reliability, video streaming and latency. EE led from Vodafone, Three UK and O2 respectively.

In terms of throughputs, Three UK offered the highest download throughput at 63 Mbps, and was tied with EE for the highest upload throughput at 17Mbps.

VMO2 won best combined connectivity experience, beating the Sky Mobile and Broadband combination; EE/BT; Vodafone/Vodafone Broadband; EE/EE; and Three UK, Three Broadband. When looking at throughputs, the fastest average download throughput by a combined provider was offered by VMO2 at over 150Mbps – well over double the average of closest rival EE/BT with an average download throughput of over 65Mbps. When looking at uploads, Virgin Media O2 was also top with an average throughput of 34Mbps.

GWS  CEO Paul Carter said: “What we need from our networks varies depending on where we are – if you’re going to be using your phone at home while sharing a network with other people or devices, most of the time it will require higher speeds than if you’re on the go using your mobile network. Our life isn’t one-dimensional running on one network, so nor should our testing be. That’s why we’ve tested the different types of networks people are accessing on their phones, to provide a more meaningful overview of the UK’s connectivity experience today.”