FEATURE: Three vs EE: Which 5G service is better?

The use we make of our smartphones is growing week by week.

Let’s face it, we are becoming insatiable: we regularly keep an eye on several social media threads and we want more and more content.

We watch more videos and we play more games on our phones.

The net result is that we get frustrated when our phones lag or when videos keep buffering.

Therefore, fast and reliable mobile connectivity is fundamental to keep up with the times. From this perspective, we are lucky that 5G continues to expand.

RootMetrics is a reputable company that provides mobile network comparison information based on scientifically collected data.

According to their latest report, in the second half of 2020, EE proved to be the operator with the broadest 5G availability and with the highest speeds in the UK.

Knowing this, you might have a clearer idea of which phone company to choose if you want a good 5G network.

You will probably be even more excited to find out that you could save a fair amount of money with the EE voucher codes here.

Let’s take a closer look at EE’s performance and compare it with that of Three, another popular British mobile network operator.

Let’s start from speed, because it clearly is the aspect we all care more about.

It will tell us how fast our movies and series will download, and what their quality will be.

EE is the only British provider whose 5G median download speed exceeded 100 Mbps in all 16 cities across the UK tested by RootMetrics.

Three surpassed this threshold only in 7 cities. Since end users don’t access 5G all the time, overall median download speed is a further factor to consider: Three was measured at 12.9 Mbps, whereas EE average speed was more than triple, as it recorded 43 Mbps.

5G coverage is another fundamental element to keep in mind, because it tells us which provider reaches more places and ultimately has more potential.

When RootMetrics ran its tests on 5G network, it turned out that the 5G availability offered by EE was the broadest, as it resulted with 36,79% of all tests.

The highest peaks were recorded in Nottingham (57%), Hull (56,8%) and Birmingham (54,9%).

Not the same could be said for Three, which recorded an average percentage of 13,25%. Nowhere did Three have a higher coverage than EE.

The tests conducted in England’s capital city also offer valuable insight.

Since London’s economy powers the United Kingdom, it is paramount to figure out how its technology deployment is proceeding.

London’s results can eventually show what kind of performance can be expected in the long run in the rest of the country.

EE’s 5G availability in Greater London was measured at a remarkable 39,9%, whereas Three featured behind at 16,8%. The statistics regarding median and maximum download speeds were rather close.

Three had a median speed of 114.7 Mbps and a maximum speed of 358.5 Mbps.

Instead, EE recorded 136.8 Mbps and 388.1 Mbps respectively. In Central London, 5G availability of EE jumped at 82,5% and Three also increased to 22,3%.

Both median and maximum download speeds were much higher with EE than with Three.

This is probably enough data. All this information might be rather technical, but it is a valid measure to assess which is the best operator to choose when upgrading to 5G mobile connectivity.

This kind of technology is new for all of us and it is important to get our facts straight to understand what is the best 5G service we can get.

In a virtual ranking system, during the second half of 2020 EE was rated as the overall best network in terms of reliability, speed, data, calls and texts.

On the other hand, considering these same parameters, Three reached only the third place (except for texts, where it was second).

If you are still in a muddle about fifth generation mobile technology and you would like to better understand how it works and what its benefits are, there is a guide that explains all you need to know on 5G.

It is very useful and it tells you all the ins and outs that you have been wondering about.

It is written by 5GUK Limited, which is 100% dedicated to reporting on 5G news and technology.