Is 5G Fast in Northern Cities?

According to the latest data and statistics from official sources, the average speeds of the fifth-generation wireless mobile network (better known as 5G) in northern UK cities are generally fast, especially for those living in specific cities. 

To some people’s surprise, northern cities in the United Kingdom were recently found to have faster median download speeds than in London, England. With that said, let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at 5G performance across the UK in 2025. 

Which major UK cities receive the best 5G coverage and the fastest average speeds?

For those of you who don’t know, the United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 5G has been rolled out in all of the major UK cities, but the average speeds vary greatly, with some cities benefitting from much faster average speeds than others. 

With that said, there are equally as many Northern cities that have slower 5G speeds than anywhere else in the UK. According to recent statistics, Glasgow, Scotland, is one of those northern UK cities with the fastest median 5G download speeds. 

Here are the five main northern UK cities with the fastest 5G speeds:

• Glasgow

• Manchester 

• Liverpool

• Leeds

• Sheffield

Some of the other ‘northern’ UK cities with high or above-average 5G speeds are Belfast, Newcastle, York, Bradford, Bolton, Inverness, and Lancaster. Recent improvements have also meant that Chester, Durham, Sunderland, Windermere, Lerwick, and Kirkwall have much faster 5G speeds compared to just five years ago. 

What are the main user benefits of faster 5G speeds?

There are many benefits of having access to faster 5G. For example, in the digital entertainment sector, people who play online slots, highly sophisticated live dealer games or high-end graphically demanding, triple-A blockbuster video games no longer have to worry about disconnection, lagging, latency or constant buffering issues. 

For example, in India, where people have access to 5G coverage around 40% of the time, it’s typically much lower at around 10% in the UK. 

They can also watch their favourite movies and television shows uninterrupted online in full 4K Ultra HD quality without any of these annoying issues. Faster 5G speeds also have many other benefits in the automation, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, retail, financial service, transportation, logistics, agriculture, and education industries/sectors. 

5G technology is revolutionising these sectors in more ways than one and can support a larger number of connected devices simultaneously in a smaller area. It enhances the user experience, reduces energy consumption, and enables seamless communication and collaboration, among many other things. 

How does 5G in the UK compare to other countries/regions?

The UK still lags behind many other countries in terms of its 5G coverage and speeds. For example, in India, where people have access to 5G coverage around 40% of the time, it’s typically much lower at around 10% in the UK. 

Other countries, such as China, the United States, Germany, and South Korea, also have far better 5G services. If you are considering getting a 5G-enabled mobile device and you live in the United Kingdom, the most reliable 5G service providers to consider using first are Vodafone, EE, Three and O2. 

They are recognised as ‘The Big Four.’ Others include giffgaff, Tesco Mobile, SMARTY, and iD Mobile. 

Final thoughts

Significant improvements have been made in northern UK cities regarding 5G services over the past few years, and services will continue to improve over the coming years. However, not everywhere has full 5G coverage yet, and depending on exactly where you are based will determine what kind of service you can expect. 

Compared to the other G7 countries, the UK has much slower 5G speeds and has a lot of catching up to do. The promises the leaders initially made about 5G capabilities are nowhere near as advanced or fast as they should be, but its overall performance is gradually improving; it’s just taking much longer than first anticipated.