EE ‘Best’ Mobile Operator At London City, Gatwick And Heathrow Airports

EE has the best network at London’s City, Gatwick and Heathrow airports, according to research by RootMetrics, which said all four major mobile operators offered good reliability at each location.

The research firm says its findings should help companies know which airport is best to go to if they are using a certain network, or when choosing an operator if they value employees’ ability to work at airports right until take-off.

Read More: How does RootMetrics test the UK’s mobile operators?

London airport performance

“The time before we fly is crucial to tick off business tasks or catch up with friends and family before we go offline for hours,” said Scott Stonham, RootMetrics general manager for Europe. “This unbiased information gives travellers a better idea of the mobile internet performance they should expect while waiting to board, depending on their departure airport.

“Our testing showed that, of the three airports tested, EE customers will generally experience first class performance, while Three’s customers can expect their smoothest ride at London City.”

At London City, EE earned a weighted ‘RootScore’ of 96.1 out of 100, ahead of Three on 94.2, O2 on 91.4 and Vodafone with 90.1.

At London’s main airport, Heathrow, EE was best again, this time with 96.9, beating Vodafone’s 89, Three’s 82.1 and O2’s 81.6. Further south at Gatwick, EE scored 97.9, three 84.5, O2 81.4 and Vodafone 79.4.

EE also delivered the fastest median speeds at all three airports, peaking at a 27.3Mbps download speed and 14.2Mbps upload speed at Heathrow.

Rootscores are determined by a number of factors, such as call, text and data performance, with mobile Internet becoming more important in recent years. A number of operators have cast doubt on RootMetrics’ methods, but the firm says its scientific approach cannot be discredited.