If you’ve been wondering about South Africa’s best mobile network, wonder now more. The reigning champion still gives you the best bang for your buck.
MyBroadband Q2 2024 Mobile Network Quality Report is out, and MTN is sitting pretty at the top of the podium.
SA’s best mobile network
MTN snagged the crown with a Network Quality Score of 9.87 out of 10, leaving its competitors in the dust.
Vodacom came in second with a respectable 8.85, while Cell C, Telkom, and Rain trailed behind with scores of 6.83, 4.91, and 4.48 respectively.
But what does this score actually mean? Well, it’s not just about how fast you can download the latest TikTok dance challenge.
MyBroadband’s boffins crunched the numbers on download speed (60% of the score), upload speed (20%), and latency (20%) to give us a comprehensive picture of each network’s performance.
A tale of two technologies
Interestingly, while MTN took the overall crown, the 5G race tells a different story.
Vodacom edged out MTN in 5G performance, proving that the mobile network game is far from over.
MTN, however, dominated in LTE performance. So if you’re still rocking 4G (and let’s face it, most of us are), MTN might be your best bet for smooth scrolling and buffer-free streaming.
Best mobile network for city slickers
The report also broke down performance by major metropolitan areas. MTN and Vodacom split the honors here, each coming out on top in three metros.
Vodacom claimed victory in:
- Johannesburg,
- Mangaung, and
- Cape Town.
Meanwhile MTN ruled the roost in:
- eThekwini,
- Ekurhuleni,
- Tshwane, and
- Nelson Mandela Bay.
Behind the numbers
Before you start questioning these results, know that MyBroadband didn’t just pull these numbers out of thin air.
The report is based on a whopping 288,210 samples collected from 7,092 unique devices between April 1 and June 30, 2024.
They even covered 13,000 km in drive tests to ensure they captured real-world performance.
Best mobile network in SA: The bottom line
So, what’s the takeaway?
- If you’re after the best overall network performance in South Africa right now, MTN seems to be the way to go.
- But if you’re lucky enough to live in a 5G area, Vodacom might give you that extra edge.
Remember, though, that technology never stands still. With the pace of innovation in the mobile world, these rankings could look very different in a few months.
Stay tuned for the next report to see if MTN can hold onto its crown, or if one of its rivals will stage a comeback.
