UK's 'best' mobile network confirmed but is your provider top or bottom of the list?

Gmail warning

Gmail warning (Image: GMAIL • GETTY)

If you are constantly streaming videos on your phone when away from Wi-Fi then it appears that Vodafone is your best bet. The UK network has just been crowned the winner in the lates test from the team at Ookla with it beating rivals such as EE and O2 to the top spot.

The study used millions of tests to find the winner, with Vodafone coming out on top in categories including overall Video Streaming Score, Acceptable Video Start Time and streaming video in full HD resolution. It was only just pipped by Three and O2 in the Uninterrupted Playback tests.

"Vodafone is the Best 5G Video Experience in the United Kingdom, Q1–Q2 2025," Ookla said.

"The Ookla Speedtest Award for Mobile Video Experience is based on Video Streaming Score, which captures a range of key performance indicators during the playback of a high-resolution video clip."

Speeds test

Ookla Speeds Test (Image: OOKLA)

HERE ARE THE FULL RESULTS

Video Streaming ScoreVodafone • 85.29Three 84.33EE • 82.64

O2 • 81.67

Uninterrupted PlaybackVodafone • 98.05Three • 98.37EE • 98.19

O2 • 98.15

Acceptable Video Start TimeVodafone • 65.01Three • 62.61EE • 60.96

O2 • 55.43

Full HD ResolutionVodafone • 92.32Three • 91.99O2 • 91.42

EE • 88.75

This is an important test for networks, as video streaming is one of the biggest drains on network performance. It's also something more of us than ever are doing on our phones.

Watching apps such as Sky Go, YouTube, Netflix, Disney+ and TikTok have become increasingly popular and getting an image that's constantly stuttering can be hugely annoying.

Switching over to 5G can help speed things up with this latest technology not only faster but also able to cope with more devices connected at the same time.

Almost all new phones are 5G ready and, if you want the best speeds it's a good idea to check if you're SIM has 5G switched on.