Which mobile operator in Czechia offers the fastest speed and best data coverage?

Consulting firm Accenture has compiled a new study revealing which of Czechia’s three major phone operators – T-Mobile, Vodafone, or O2 – has the best coverage, speed, and reliability in the country. It took into account aspects such as walking and driving through rural and urban areas, as well as signal on the country’s highways.

Using the exact same mobile device with SIMs from all three providers, Accenture’s benchmarking exercises involved tests such as how long it took to load a standard web page, streaming times on video platform YouTube, and file download and upload times.

Who came out top? Out of all categories evaluated, Vodafone received the highest score (460 points out of a possible maximum of 480), with T-Mobile close behind in second (458) and O2 trailing in third (433).

In cities, Vodafone claimed the highest overall score for web-browsing speed, achieving 99 percent of the maximum score. It also had the quickest YouTube play speeds (1.7 seconds to load a video), although T-Mobile had the highest overall upload speeds in urban areas. In terms of urban download speeds, it took 1.6 seconds to download a webpage with Vodafone, in contrast to 2.3 seconds for O2.

In smaller towns, Vodadone’s web-browsing was again the quickest (however, there was marginal difference among all providers). O2 had by far the slowest file download speed in towns, achieving just 83 percent of the maximum possible score. T-Mobile had the fastest mobile streaming in rural areas, and Vodafone topped the rankings for uploads in towns and low-population areas, with O2 coming third.

On Czechia’s highways and roads – often situated in low-signal and remote areas – T-Mobile has the best coverage and web-browsing speeds, although Vodafone topped download speeds. T-Mobile took the crown for uploads. O2 was worst in all three categories. T-Mobile impressed the most in video-streaming speed and quality, with Vodafone in second.

According to figures from 2023, Vodafone has the least amount of mobile customers in the country, with about 4 million clients. T-Mobile and O2, its main competitors, are more popular, with the former having the most customers overall. 

Czech media outlet iDnes points out that, while the survey measures speeds and coverage in various parts of the country, consumers should not necessarily take all results at face value. This is because signal and speed strength, according to telecommunications expert Jan Matura, can vary wildly from area to area. 

People should also not view the study as the ranking of the “best” mobile phone network providers, Matura says, as these results – after all – only show aspects pertaining to data, rather than calls, texts, or customer service.