The report is based on 325,863 speed tests which were performed by 9,386 MyBroadband Speed Test App users across South Africa between 1 April 2022 and 30 June 2022.

The research shows that South Africa had an average mobile download speed of 49.92Mbps and an average upload speed of 14.84Mbps.

MTN had the highest average download speed at 79.27Mbps, followed by Vodacom on 44.24Mbps, Telkom on 30.79Mbps, Cell C on 24.04Mbps and Rain on 14.55Mbps.

MTN’s exceptional performance results from a R50 billion network investment over the past five years, helping it to extend coverage, improve network quality, and increase speeds.

MyBroadband Insights’ network performance data is in line with other independent network quality research, which also confirmed that MTN has the best network in South Africa.

Over the last year, there has been a big network performance improvement for all operators. The average download speed in South Africa increased by 12Mbps as a result of the increased availability of 4G and 5G access across South Africa.

Best mobile network in South Africa

To determine the best mobile network in South Africa, a “Network Quality Score” was calculated for each network using download speed, upload speed, and latency.

The Network Quality Score out of 10 then shows how a network performed in relation to other networks.

MTN reigned supreme with a Network Quality Score of 9.75, followed by Vodacom on 6.38, Telkom on 4.96, Cell C on 4.29, and Rain on 3.87.

The table below provides an overview of the mobile network rankings in South Africa.