MOBILE phone performance across the four nations of the UK is split with no single operator in a position of total dominance, according to a new survey.

IHS Markit company Root Metrics found a different overall winner in three of the four countries, with Three claiming Scotland and Wales, Vodafone securing Northern Ireland and EE claiming England.

The results come as EE retained its overall title as the top-performing operator across the UK, albeit amid stiff competition with Three reclaiming the award for most reliable network.

The RootMetrics 1H 2017 Mobile Network Performance report revealed that each of the major operators has developed a strong base in at least one of the four nations.

EE claimed the top mobile performance award outright in England, as well as for network speed and data performance, which – due to its dense population – resulted in its UK-wide win. The operator also claimed all network speed, data, and text performance wins or shares across all four countries.

Three emerged as the top operator in Scotland and Wales, and also claimed the network reliability crown for them and England.

Vodafone was the winner and most reliable network in Northern Ireland, as well as wining the call performance award outright.

O2 delivered a good performance in Northern Ireland, and secured a shared text award.

Scott Stonham, general manager of Europe for RootMetrics, said: “These latest results have really shaken things up and show the increasing competitiveness in the UK, particularly over the last six months.

“EE continues to lead the way, but Three and Vodafone are close behind. What is clear is that each operator showed strong performance in at least one particular country, while nobody was able to sweep the board at the four nations level.

“UK consumers have strong mobile options depending on how and where they use their devices most.”

Ian Fogg, from IHS Markit, added: “To succeed, mobile operators must secure sufficient radio spectrum and invest in the necessary equipment, sites and operational teams to ensure consumers enjoy fast reliable mobile broadband.”