Cyprus might be one of the smaller countries we’ve looked at, but it plays a significant role in tourism, which accounted for about 20% of its GDP before the pandemic hit. The main mobile operators in Cyprus are Cyta, MTN Cyprus, and Primetel. SIM card prices start at around €10, with more complete packages going for about €30.

Despite its mountainous landscape, this island nation on the edge of Asia Minor enjoys widespread and reliable mobile Internet access. Cyprus performs well in our rankings, even surpassing countries like Italy and Spain. The average download speed is around 66.5 Mbps, with an upload speed of 13.3 Mbps, and a particularly low ping time of 18 ms.

France is home to 4 main mobile operators: Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, and Free. Orange is the biggest, serving over 30 million users, with SFR close behind. Both companies offer 4G and LTE speeds across most areas and 5G in larger cities. Customers of SFR and Free, including those on prepaid plans, also have access to 5G networks. Smaller operators like La Poste Mobile, Lebara Mobile, Lycamobile, and Prixtel Régl use the infrastructure of these major networks but generally don’t provide as extensive coverage.

When it comes to mobile Internet, France really stands out in Southern Europe for its high average download speeds, leading the way at 102.7 Mbps. However, it lags a bit in average upload speeds, which are only 9.1 Mbps. The ping, or latency, also has room for improvement. At 29 ms, it’s decent, but some neighbouring countries achieve better results in this area.

At the start of 2023, Spain had 58.32 million active mobile subscribers, which is 122.7% of the total population. This indicates that many people own more than one SIM card. The major mobile operators in Spain are Movistar, Vodafone, Orange, and Yoigo (MasMovil Group), who together hold over 80% of the mobile market share.

Spain also hosts a range of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) that lease network capacity from the main operators and provide low-cost prepaid plans. While MVNOs tend to offer more affordable rates, they might have slightly slower speeds and more limited network coverage compared to the main operators. Additionally, not all MVNOs support the latest technologies such as 5G or eSIM.

The average mobile Internet speeds in Spain are 53.1 Mbps for downloads and 11.15 Mbps for uploads, with a ping of 36 ms. These figures are somewhat lower than in other countries, for a few reasons. Spain’s diverse landscape and numerous rural areas mean that some regions have less developed network infrastructure. Also, high population density in urban areas can overload networks, reducing speeds and increasing ping times. Furthermore, although investment in 5G is ongoing, it hasn’t yet reached full coverage across the country, limiting the potential for faster speeds.

In Malta, the telecom market is served by 3 main operators: Melita, Epic (formerly Vodafone Malta), and GO Mobile.

Melita offers a wide range of telecom services, including up-to-date mobile plans and high-speed internet. Epic, now part of the global Vodafone Group, delivers voice, data, and international roaming services and invests heavily in upgrading its network. GO Mobile, a division of GO plc, offers a variety of mobile services, including both prepaid and postpaid plans, and supports 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G technologies.

As the second island nation on our list, after Cyprus, Malta stands in the middle in terms of mobile Internet service, providing residents and tourists with fairly reliable connections. Users can expect average download speeds of 62.4 Mbps and upload speeds of 14.2 Mbps, which is the highest upload speed among the countries covered in this article. Additionally, Malta’s mobile networks benefit from low ping times, around 20 ms.

In Portugal, the telecom market is dominated by 3 main operators: MEO, Vodafone Portugal, and NOS. MEO, which is part of Altice Portugal, holds over 40% of the market and offers everything from 2G to 5G, along with prepaid and postpaid plans. Vodafone Portugal, affiliated with the global Vodafone Group, provides a wide range of mobile services and is a strong competitor in the market. NOS, formerly known as Optimus and ZON, offers similar services and also has a significant share of the market. There are also several smaller operators known as MVNOs, such as NOWO, which operates using MEO’s infrastructure.

The quality and speed of mobile Internet in Portugal are at a high level. The average download speed is 83.8 Mbps and the upload speed is 12.9 Mbps, with ping times around 24 ms. These speeds mean you can download large files quickly, watch HD or 4K videos smoothly, and use advanced apps without any trouble. Upload speeds are also fast enough to allow seamless transfers of photos, videos, and other files, as well as to support clear video calls.

The mobile operator market in Slovenia is well-developed and competitive, with a total of 2,755,402 subscribers and a penetration rate of 130%. Telekom Slovenije is the largest telecom provider in the country, with about 0.985 million subscribers as of the first quarter of 2024. This company, which is majority state-owned, leads the market. A1 Slovenia also offers strong competition, providing a good alternative to Telekom Slovenije. Other significant players include Telemach and T-2, both of which hold important roles in the market.

Slovenia is also home to several local and international mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) that serve niche markets or specific groups of customers. These MVNOs typically offer prepaid services and operate under agreements that allow them to use the networks of major mobile operators. This arrangement helps them offer competitive prices and specialised services designed to meet the varied needs of their users.

Slovenia has shown excellent mobile Internet quality and speed, ranking in the top 3 among the countries we’ve looked at. The average download speed here is 75.2 Mbps, with upload speeds coming in at 11.6 Mbps. The ping, or response time, is also impressive at 19 ms, making it the second lowest after Cyprus.

Italy has 4 main mobile network operators and dozens of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). The key players are TIM, Vodafone, WINDTRE, and iliad. TIM is the largest, with over 30 million subscribers, while Vodafone serves around 29 million users. WINDTRE, formed by the merger of Wind and 3 Italia, has 25 million customers and offers competitive prices. Iliad, which entered the market in 2018, quickly gained over 8 million subscribers with its low-cost plans. Fastweb, which became the fifth operator in 2019, provides reliable 4G coverage and is slightly cheaper than TIM and Vodafone.

In addition to these main operators, there are many MVNOs in Italy that use their networks. PosteMobile and Spusu run on the WINDTRE network, CoopVoce uses the TIM network, and Rabona Mobile, Digi Mobil, ho. Mobile, and NTmobile connect through Vodafone. These MVNOs offer various affordable packages, often with extra benefits like cheap international calls or the option to roll over unused data.

Regarding the quality and speed of mobile Internet in Italy, it ranks quite low compared to other countries in the survey. The average download speed in Italy is 55.9 Mbps, which is second from last, only ahead of Spain. The upload speeds are about the same as most of the compared countries, at 11 Mbps. The mobile network in Italy also has a relatively high ping time of 36 ms.