Tests conducted in Norwich have found mobile phone operator EE has the fastest download speeds when compared to its three rivals, according to telecoms regulator Ofcom.

The study compared the mobile broadband and voice performance of the UK's four national mobile providers - EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.

Testing was carried out in cities where high-speed 4G networks have already been rolled out - Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London and Norwich.

It was the first time Ofcom also measured network performance, reflecting the everyday usage habits of smartphone users.

The regulator looked at download, upload and web-browsing speeds, video streaming quality, and phone call success rates.

It found that EE's 4G network averaged speeds of 20 megabits per second (Mbits/s) - capable of downloading a 10MB file such as a very high-resolution photo in four seconds.

On average, EE had the most consistent 4G download speed performance, with speeds in excess of 2Mbit/s delivered in 92% of its tests. This compared with 87% for Three, 82% for Vodafone and 69% for O2.

Overall EE achieved the fastest 4G upload speeds, averaging 20Mbit/s, followed by Three (12Mbit/s) and Vodafone and O2 (10Mbit/s).

To test the video streaming speeds of the networks, Ofcom looked at the quality of experience when watching YouTube online.

It tested the service based on how successfully it was able to stream the trailer for the James Bond film, Spectre.

It streamed in high definition in 97% of attempts on EE compared with 87% on Three, 86% on Vodafone and 85% on O2.

The study also found that phone calls connected successfully more than 98% of the time across all four networks.

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