Mobile operator EE (BT) has topped the annual 2026 Umlaut Connect UK Mobile Network test. The benchmark was made on 5G and 4G performance in 16 cities, and 24 smaller towns along 10,170 km of major roads.
The result comes through drive tests and walk tests conducted between October 27 and November 08, 2025. The tests were conducted using a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and took details of operators’ data and voice services. O2 (Virgin Media) was at the bottom. The team in the test even walked through various cities and on trains. According to reports, the test accommodated a total of 16.7 million people, which is 24.9% of the entire population in the United Kingdom.
During the test, the phone was set to 5G preferred mode. So, wherever the network was available, the details were collected on the very network.
In the meantime, the teams also took crowdsourced data over 24 weeks from May to November 2025 from mobile phone users in the UK. This entailed using data from users on their smartphones in a special background diagnosis process.
EE topped UK mobile test on 5G
EE took the pole position in all data, voice, and crowdsourced testing categories with 920 points out of 1,000. The company managed 913 last year while topping the charts back then, too.
In the list, Vodafone followed in second with 808, Three UK in third with 799. O2 ranked at the bottom with 768 scores out of 100.
| Network | Score (out of 1,000) | Previous Score |
| EE | 920 | 920 Up from 913 (+7) |
| Vodafone | 808 | Down from 815 (-7) |
| Three UK | 799 | Up from 765 (+34) |
| O2 | 768 | Up from 729 (+39) |
This is the eleventh time in succession that EE has topped the test.