According to new research undertaken by Ookla, the connectivity intelligence provider, Glasgow has the best 5G download speeds when compared to other major UK cities, including the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.
Based on analysis of Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence data, which offers insights based on millions of consumer-initiated tests, Glasgow boasted median 5G download speeds of 185 megabits per second, or Mbps, in the first quarter of this year.
In comparison, the next best performing city, Birmingham, saw speeds of 145 Mbps, while the worst were London and Belfast, where the median 5G download speed was around 115 Mbps.
The Scottish capital was also among the bottom of the pack, with median speeds of around 123 Mbps—significantly lower than that of Glasgow.
Ookla’s research team highlighted that this ranking profile extended to 5G network consistency as well.
Glasgow 5G users had 85% 5G consistency according to the Q1 2025 data, while Belfast and London had around 76% and 74.7% consistency respectively.
Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, there was 78.5% 5G consistency, which again is towards the bottom of the rankings.
The Ookla researchers also uncovered that the UK is something of an outlier when it comes to the 5G performance gap of its cities when compared to those in other western European countries, such as France.
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The findings come just weeks after it was announced that Glasgow City Region had received millions more in funding to extend its 5G innovation programme, Smart and Connected Social Places, which originally began in 2023.
Led by Glasgow City Region and backed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the programme aims to harness the power of connectivity, digital, and data to transform services and improve lives.
Since 2023, a programme of six projects across the eight local council areas have been focused on boosting 5G connectivity across the Region and providing residents with access to accurate data on their mobile phone coverage and signal strength, as well as keeping people safe, well, and socially connected in their homes and local communities.
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