Internet speed test

Best Cell Carrier in South East England Region

South East England Region, EnglandGB

Based on over 24,000 real, on the ground measurements by people like you

Our pick for most people

EE

  • Fastest downloads
  • Slows down the least when busy
  • Quickest response

Best carrier by category

Tailor your carrier based on how you actually use your phone

  • Calls & textsEE
  • BrowsingEEThree
  • StreamingEEThree
  • Video callsEEThree
  • GamingEEThree
  • Home internetEEThree

Coverage map

Browse the Coverage Map

Signal can change from one street to the next. Check the places you spend the most time, like home, work, and your commute.

Compare carriers

How do the carriers compare?

The real differences are how fast each network is and how well it holds up when it's busy.

EE

Our pick

The fastest and most consistent network here.

Overall
Good
Performance
Good
Reliability
Fair

  • Download speed48.2 Mbps
  • Upload speed7.8 Mbps
  • Latency29 ms
  • Speed testsover 6,100

Bars compare each carrier with the best result here. Speeds are medians from real speed tests.

Three

Middle ground

Rated fair overall here, with performance its strongest score.

Overall
Fair
Performance
Good
Reliability
Fair

  • Download speed43.5 Mbps
  • Upload speed7.0 Mbps
  • Latency35 ms
  • Speed testsover 4,100

Bars compare each carrier with the best result here. Speeds are medians from real speed tests.

Vodafone

Slower speeds

Has the slowest downloads here.

Overall
Fair
Performance
Fair
Reliability
Weak

  • Download speed21.7 Mbps
  • Upload speed3.3 Mbps
  • Latency36 ms
  • Speed testsover 6,400

Bars compare each carrier with the best result here. Speeds are medians from real speed tests.

O2

Middle ground

Rated weak overall here, with performance its strongest score.

Overall
Weak
Performance
Fair
Reliability
Weak

  • Download speed31.8 Mbps
  • Upload speed3.6 Mbps
  • Latency33 ms
  • Speed testsover 7,900

Bars compare each carrier with the best result here. Speeds are medians from real speed tests.

By City

Cities in South East England Region

The best pick can change from place to place. Choose one of the cities in South East England Region for a local answer.

Abingdon
Addlestone
Aldershot
Alresford
Alton
Amersham
Andover
Arundel
Ascot
Ashford
Ashtead
Aylesbury
Aylesford
Bagshot
Bampton
Banbury
Banstead
Basingstoke
Battle
Beaconsfield
Bedford
Belvedere
Bembridge
Berkhamsted
Betchworth
Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexley
Bicester
Billingshurst
Birchington
Bognor Regis
Bordon
Bourne End
Brackley
Bracknell
Brighton
Broadstairs
Brockenhurst
Buckingham
Burford
Burgess Hill
Camberley
Canterbury
Carterton
Caterham
Chalfont St. Giles
Chatham
Chertsey
Chesham
Chichester
Chinnor
Chipping Norton
Christchurch
Cobham
Coulsdon
Cowes
Cranbrook
Cranleigh
Crawley
Crowborough
Crowthorne
Dartford
Deal
Didcot
Dorking
Dover
Dunstable
East Cowes
East Grinstead
East Molesey
Eastbourne
Eastleigh
Edenbridge
Egham
Emsworth
Epsom
Erith
Esher
Etchingham
Fareham
Faringdon
Farnborough
Farnham
Faversham
Fleet
Folkestone
Fordingbridge
Forest Row
Freshwater
Gatwick
Gerrards Cross
Gillingham
Godalming
Godstone
Gosport
Gravesend
Great Missenden
Greenhithe
Guildford
Hailsham
Hartfield
Haslemere
Hassocks
Hastings
Havant
Hayling Island
Haywards Heath
Heathfield
Henfield
Henley-on-Thames
Herne Bay
High Wycombe
Hindhead
Hook
Horley
Horsham
Hove
Hungerford
Hythe
Iver
Kidlington
Lancing
Leatherhead
Lechlade
Lee-on-the-Solent
Leighton Buzzard
Lewes
Lightwater
Lingfield
Liphook
Liss
Littlehampton
Longfield
Lymington
Lyndhurst
Maidenhead
Maidstone
Margate
Marlow
Mayfield
Midhurst
Milton Keynes
Moreton-in-Marsh
New Milton
New Romney
Newbury
Newhaven
Newport
Newport Pagnell
Olney
Oxford
Oxted
Peacehaven
Petersfield
Petworth
Pevensey
Polegate
Portsmouth
Princes Risborough
Pulborough
Queenborough
Ramsgate
Reading
Redhill
Reigate
Rickmansworth
Ringwood
Robertsbridge
Rochester
Romney Marsh
Romsey
Rowland's Castle
Ryde
Rye
Salisbury
Sandhurst
Sandown
Sandwich
Seaford
Seaview
Sevenoaks
Shanklin
Sheerness
Shepperton
Shoreham-by-Sea
Sittingbourne
Slough
Snodland
Southampton
Southsea
St. Leonards-on-Sea
Staines-Upon-Thames
Steyning
Stockbridge
Sunbury-on-Thames
Surbiton
Swanley
Swanscombe
Swindon
Tadley
Tadworth
Tenterden
Thame
Thames Ditton
Thatcham
Tidworth
Tonbridge
Totland Bay
Tring
Tunbridge Wells
Uckfield
Uxbridge
Ventnor
Virginia Water
Wadhurst
Wallingford
Walton-on-Thames
Wantage
Warlingham
Waterlooville
Watlington
West Byfleet
West Malling
West Molesey
Westerham
Westgate-on-Sea
Weybridge
Whitchurch
Whitstable
Whyteleafe
Winchelsea
Winchester
Windlesham
Windsor
Witney
Woking
Wokingham
Woodstock
Worthing
Yarmouth
Yateley

Our method

How do we determine how carriers perform?

Our picks come from over 24,000 speed tests run by people using the CoverageMap app in South East England Region. We look at how fast each network is and how often it slows down. No carrier pays for its ranking.

Every carrier gets 0 to 10 scores inspired by the CoverageMap API's scoring, adapted to a whole area so each one agrees with the numbers we show:

  • Performance blends median download (70%) and upload (30%) speeds, topping out at 100 and 20 Mbps, and is lowered by latency over 150 ms. The first Mbps count the most, so a solid 50 Mbps scores well.
  • Reliability looks at the slowest tests (the worst 10%) against 10 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up, and every failed test counts fully against it, so it shows how a network holds up when it's busy.

Outside the US there is no coverage data to measure how much of the area each network reaches, so there is no coverage rating. In performance, failed tests count half as much because some fail for reasons that have nothing to do with the network. The overall score weighs reliability 60% and performance 40%, and our pick has the best overall score. Each activity uses the measurements that matter for it: latency for gaming and video calls, download speed for streaming, and fast, steady speeds both ways for home internet.

We need at least 25 speed tests in South East England Region to rate speeds locally, and 10 for each carrier before we compare its speeds. With fewer tests, we use a larger nearby area.

FAQ

Questions about South East England Region cell service

For most people in South East England Region, EE is the best choice: it was the fastest and most dependable network in our tests.

EE had the fastest typical download speed in our tests, about 48 Mbps. Every carrier rated good or better here is fast enough for browsing and HD video.

Use the coverage map on this page. Search for your address to see the signal for each carrier at your home, work, and anywhere else you spend time in South East England Region.

From over 24,000 speed tests run by real people on their own phones in South East England Region, not lab tests or carrier claims. No carrier pays for its ranking.

Each category looks at the measurements that matter most for it:

  • Calling & texting: How steady the network is, plus a little response time
  • Browsing & social media: Download speed (up to about 25 Mbps), response time, and steadiness
  • Video & music streaming: Download speed and steadiness
  • Video calling: Upload speed, response time, steadiness, and download speed
  • Mobile gaming: Response time (latency) most of all, plus steadiness and download speed
  • Home internet: Fast download and upload speeds, and steadiness

Recommended plans are our own picks: they run on a network that works well in South East England Region, and we choose them for fit and value. Sponsored deals are paid placements, and we show them under a "Sponsored deals" label. Some of the plans we recommend also come from sponsors; they are on the list because they fit, not because they pay. We only accept sponsors whose plans we have reviewed and believe to be a good service. Sponsorship never changes our carrier picks or ratings, and we never put a plan in a recommended spot if it wouldn't be a good fit for coverage or performance in the area.

Download the CoverageMap app and run a few speed tests with location enabled. Your results improve the ratings on this page and help unlock local picks faster.

Looking somewhere else?

Get the best-carrier answer for any region or city.