T-Mobile named as best mobile broadband operator

T-Mobile has been named as the best mobile broadband provider in the UK following tests by Broadband Genie. 

Mobile broadband dongles from the UK's top operators were tested over the course of one long train journey in terms of megabit speed and reliability and T-Mobile came out on top. The tests took place over the course of a 350 mile journey from Bournemouth to Cambridge and found that speeds and reliability varied greatly from area to area. 

The dongles were tested on upload and download speeds and were tested on streaming content from BBC iPlayer and Spotify. The top speed reached was 3 megabits per second but the average was only 1 megabit per second, highlighting the unreliable nature of many mobile broadband dongles.

The tests also showed a significant variation in upload speeds, with Virgin Mobile beating the rest with a speed of 1.6 megabits per second. The results are vastly improved upon 2009 but showed some operators' services were more than double the speed of others. 

"Getting mobile broadband to work well on the move presents some real problems for providers, especially in more rural areas," said Chris Marling from Broadband Genie. "But as we work towards establishing a universal minimum standard for UK broadband, these challenges need to be met."