Heathrow pips rival Gatwick in battle of mobile internet speeds

Mobile internet speeds at Heathrow surpass that at rival London Gatwick according to a study by independent mobile analytics firm RootMetrics.

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Mobile internet speeds at Heathrow surpass that at rival London Gatwick according to a study by independent mobile analytics firm RootMetrics.

The firm looked at the performance of the four major UK networks: EE, O2, Three and Vodafone, at the UK’s two busiest airports.

Overall EE came out top in both airports with the network’s download and upload speeds faster than its rivals at Heathrow and Gatwick.

RootMetrics found generally faster download and upload speeds at Heathrow compared to Gatwick for each of the major networks.

However median download speed for Vodafone at Gatwick was much faster than its speed at Heathrow, while O2’s median upload speed was comparable at both airports.

RootMetrics said businesses now expect employees to be online and responsive right up to take-off, so differences in mobile performance are important.

It said that consumers are also expecting faster speeds as they look to pass time in airports by sharing their flight status with friends and family.

Bill Moore, chief executive of RootMetrics, said: “Travellers in the UK can now get a better idea of the mobile internet performance while travelling or during delays at the UK’s two busiest airports.

“Our testing at Heathrow and Gatwick showed impressive performances from multiple operators, especially EE, which had the fastest speeds and won the RootScore Award at both airports.

“Internet access in airports has become a business essential and a consumer assumption.

“Travellers expect to be able to get online easily, whether it’s for work or entertainment purposes, and travellers now have accurate, unbiased information to help them to get the most out of their mobile internet performance at Heathrow and Gatwick.”