4G Still Beats 5G for Voice Calls in 2026, Ookla Finds: What Travelers Should Know Before Landing
A new analysis published on October 12, 2026 delivers an awkward message for the 5G era: for ordinary phone calls, 4G is still the better network in most places. According to Ookla, as reported by Light Reading, voice over LTE (VoLTE) remains the "gold standard" for consistency and call setup speed, while voice over 5G (VoNR) is catching up but is not there yet in many markets.
What Ookla measured
The findings come from test data collected by Ookla's RootMetrics in eight cities worldwide, including London, New York, Seoul and Singapore. The metric was call setup time: how long it takes from pressing the call button until you hear a ringtone. Under two seconds feels "instant," and much longer than that pushes people toward apps like WhatsApp or FaceTime.
Seoul delivered the fastest median VoLTE setup time at 1.06 seconds, and 90% of VoLTE calls there connected in under two seconds, which was quicker than any VoNR implementation Ookla tested. The picture was mixed elsewhere. Six of the eight carriers connected calls faster on VoNR than on VoLTE, and Singapore's Singtel and Malaysia's Yes were faster on 5G voice than on 4G. But Singapore's StarHub and Korea's KT were 32% and 13% slower on VoNR than on VoLTE.
Why 4G voice still wins
Ookla's lead analyst Luke Kehoe explained that most standard voice calls in developed markets still travel over VoLTE, even where operators have switched on 5G standalone cores. Many networks drop the call back to LTE instead of using the full 5G core. Moving voice to 5G means a new technology stack and a new voice standard, while leaving behind something refined for about ten years. Where carriers have optimized, 5G call setup is already competitive. Ookla plans to test other factors, such as dropped calls, in future studies.
Voice is also shrinking in importance. Ofcom reported that UK mobile-originated voice minutes fell 4.6% to 36.84 billion in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. But when a call fails to connect quickly, people notice.
What this means for travelers
Most travelers rarely think about call technology, but the finding connects to three practical situations.
First, travel eSIMs are usually data-only. They do not carry a phone number or traditional voice service, so calls abroad normally go through WhatsApp, FaceTime, Google Meet or another app over data. In that case what matters is data latency and stability, not VoLTE versus VoNR. We explained the difference in our guide to data-only eSIMs versus plans with a phone number.
Second, if you keep your home SIM active for calls, your calls abroad depend on the visited network and on whether your carrier supports VoLTE roaming. Older phones or carriers without it may fall back to a slower or unavailable service. This is also why the shutdown of 2G and 3G matters, as we covered in the 2026 2G and 3G switch-offs.
Third, 5G is not automatically better for everything. We previously reported that 5G standalone roaming is arriving, but most operators say they are not ready. Voice quality is another reason to expect uneven results between countries and carriers.
Practical tips for your next trip
- Keep 4G/LTE enabled in your phone settings. If a 5G voice setup is weak, your phone can fall back cleanly.
- Use Wi-Fi calling or a messaging app over your travel eSIM for important calls, and test it before you leave.
- If you need a local number for deliveries or bookings, choose an eSIM or SIM plan that includes one, and check the terms first.
- Install your travel eSIM at home. HOLASIM and other providers let you set up a data plan before departure so you land connected.
The Ookla result is a useful reminder that newer does not always mean better yet. For travelers, the safest approach is to treat data as your main connection, keep 4G available, and use apps for calls.