Glasgow leads study with 5G speeds

Known for its Speedtest application, Ookla provides free analysis of internet performance. Recently, the connectivity intelligence expert conducted a study on 5G download speeds in some of the UK’s biggest cities.

Glasgow led the list for 5G speeds that included major metropolises like London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Sheffield, Leeds, Belfast and Edinburgh, the Scottish capital.

Founded on detailed analysis of intelligence data from the Speedtest app, which provides insights sourced from millions of tests initiated by internet users, the report unearthed that Glasgow enjoyed average 5G download speeds of around 185 megabits per second (Mbps) for the first quarter of 2025.

With a notably lower score, the next best performer was, Birmingham with speeds of about 145 Mbps, while Belfast and London tied for last place with average 5G download speeds of approximately 115 Mbps. Edinburgh also performed poorly in the pack, with speeds of about 123 Mbps.

Researchers at Ookla’s research underscored that as well as scoring for download the rankings awarded also extended to network consistency for 5G services. While London (74.7 per cent), Belfast (76 per cent) and Edinburgh (78.5 per cent) were the cities with the lowest consistency, users of 5G services in Glasgow enjoyed 85 per cent consistency in Q1.

The study from Ookla follows the recent announcement that the Glasgow City Region has secured millions of additional funding to grow its 5G innovation programme called “Smart and Connected Social Places” that was initiated back in 2023.