Broadband News

O2 claims top spot for mobile broadband speeds

Wednesday, 24 February 2010

By Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

O2 Broadband (www.O2.co.uk) customers enjoy average download speeds 30% faster than their slowest rival, according to a new study.

The research, which was commissioned by O2 itself and carried out by Siroda, a radio measurement company, found that the average web page was downloaded in just 1.7 seconds over the O2 network last month.

The tests were conducted over a 60 day period across 150 UK locations, measuring mobile broadband download speeds at peak times throughout the day in cities including London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield.

Simon Page, from Siroda, said: “Networks have seen an enormous growth in data traffic in recent months and consumer interest in network quality has grown accordingly. This nationwide survey reflects actual customer experience in the places where data is in most demand.”

It also found that O2 offered the fastest music downloads in 12 out of 20 UK cities, taking second place in a further four more. Vodafone Mobile Broadband (www.Vodafone.co.uk) came second, with the fastest downloads in five cities, while T-Mobile Mobile Broadband (www.T-Mobile.co.uk) was the fastest at two sites and 3 Mobile Broadband (www.Three.co.uk) took the top spot in one major city.

Derek McManus, chief technology officer, O2 said: “We’re very pleased with these conclusive findings, which have been independently verified.

“Our London customers are now seeing the benefits of the investment we made before Christmas, where we spent £30m delivering 40 new sites.

“Outside London, where network quality is shown to be strong, we continue to scale our investment and have committed to deliver a further 1,500 new sites by the end of this year, building ahead of the demand for data services.”

“It’s disappointing that Siroda didn’t release actual average download speeds in this survey, as most studies show that average speeds are only around 1Mb across the UK,” said Michael Phillips, Broadbandchoices.co.uk product director.

“Also, this study was carried out in towns and cities and it would have been interesting to see how speeds compared in rural areas where mobile broadband coverage is often more patchy.”

Compare broadband deals

Save up to £363* when you include TV and calls with your broadband

CLOSE [X]

*Enter your postcode to find the best broadband deals in your area. We value your privacy, please see our privacy policy.

Why we need your postcode