Internet speed test

Best Cell Carrier in South West England Region

South West England Region, EnglandGB

Based on over 4,500 real, on the ground measurements by people like you

Our pick for most people

Vodafone

  • Slows down the least when busy
  • Highest overall rating
  • 29 Mbps typical downloads

Best carrier by category

Tailor your carrier based on how you actually use your phone

  • Calls & textsVodafone
  • BrowsingVodafoneEE
  • StreamingVodafoneEE
  • Video callsVodafoneEEO2
  • GamingVodafoneEE
  • Home internetVodafoneEE

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.

Vodafone

Our pick

The most consistent network, even when busy.

Overall
Fair
Performance
Fair
Reliability
Fair

  • Download speed29.4 Mbps
  • Upload speed5.9 Mbps
  • Latency39 ms
  • Speed testsover 1,100

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

EE

Fastest

The fastest network, but it slows down more when busy.

Overall
Fair
Performance
Fair
Reliability
Weak

  • Download speed38.7 Mbps
  • Upload speed6.1 Mbps
  • Latency32 ms
  • Speed testsover 1,000

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
Fair
Reliability
Weak

  • Download speed25.8 Mbps
  • Upload speed3.8 Mbps
  • Latency54 ms
  • Speed testsover 1,900

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

O2

Slower speeds

Has the slowest downloads here.

Overall
Weak
Performance
Fair
Reliability
Weak

  • Download speed19.3 Mbps
  • Upload speed6.6 Mbps
  • Latency42 ms
  • Speed testsover 300

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

By City

Cities in South West England Region

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

Andover
Axbridge
Axminster
Badminton
Banwell
Barnstaple
Bath
Beaminster
Beaworthy
Berkeley
Bideford
Blakeney
Blandford Forum
Bodmin
Boscastle
Bournemouth
Bradford-on-Avon
Braunton
Bridgwater
Bridport
Bristol
Brixham
Broadstone
Broadway
Bruton
Buckfastleigh
Bude
Budleigh Salterton
Burford
Burnham-on-Sea
Callington
Calne
Calstock
Camborne
Camelford
Castle Cary
Chard
Cheddar
Cheltenham
Chepstow
Chippenham
Chipping Campden
Chipping Norton
Christchurch
Chulmleigh
Cinderford
Cirencester
Clevedon
Coleford
Colyton
Corsham
Crediton
Crewkerne
Cullompton
Dartmouth
Dawlish
Delabole
Devizes
Dorchester
Drybrook
Dulverton
Dursley
Dymock
Evesham
Exeter
Exmouth
Fairford
Falmouth
Ferndown
Fordingbridge
Fowey
Frome
Gillingham
Glastonbury
Gloucester
Gunnislake
Hayle
Helston
Highbridge
Hinton St. George
Holsworthy
Honiton
Hungerford
Ilfracombe
Ilminster
Isles of Scilly
Ivybridge
Kingsbridge
Langport
Launceston
Lechlade
Ledbury
Lifton
Liskeard
Longhope
Looe
Lostwithiel
Lydbrook
Lydney
Lyme Regis
Lynmouth
Lynton
Malmesbury
Marazion
Marlborough
Martock
Melksham
Merriott
Minehead
Mitcheldean
Monmouth
Montacute
Moreton-in-Marsh
Newent
Newnham
Newquay
Newton Abbot
North Tawton
Okehampton
Ottery St. Mary
Padstow
Paignton
Par
Penryn
Penzance
Perranporth
Pewsey
Plymouth
Poole
Port Isaac
Portland
Radstock
Redruth
Ringwood
Ross-on-Wye
Ruardean
Salcombe
Salisbury
Saltash
Seaton
Shaftesbury
Shepton Mallet
Sherborne
Sidmouth
Somerton
South Brent
South Molton
South Petherton
St. Agnes
St. Austell
St. Columb
St. Ives
Stoke-Sub-Hamdon
Stonehouse
Street
Stroud
Sturminster Newton
Swanage
Swindon
Taunton
Tavistock
Teignmouth
Templecombe
Tetbury
Tewkesbury
Tidworth
Tintagel
Tiverton
Torpoint
Torquay
Torrington
Totnes
Trowbridge
Truro
Umberleigh
Verwood
Wadebridge
Wareham
Warminster
Watchet
Wedmore
Wellington
Wells
Westbury
Westbury-on-Severn
Weston-Super-Mare
Weymouth
Wimborne
Wincanton
Winkleigh
Winscombe
Woolacombe
Wotton-Under-Edge
Yelverton
Yeovil

Our method

How do we determine how carriers perform?

Our picks come from over 4,500 speed tests run by people using the CoverageMap app in South West 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 West 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 West England Region cell service

For most people in South West England Region, Vodafone is the best choice: it was the most dependable network in our tests.

EE had the fastest typical download speed in our tests, about 39 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 West England Region.

From over 4,500 speed tests run by real people on their own phones in South West 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 West 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.