Telecommunications group MTN has maintained its title of South Africa’s best network in the second quarter of 2024 MyBroadband Insight’s Mobile Network Quality Report.

MTN secured the highest network quality score – calculated using download speed, upload speed and latency – at 9.87 during the second quarter of 2024, followed by Vodacom at 8.85, Cell C at 6.83, Telkom at 4.91 and Rain at 4.48.

During the second quarter under review, South Africa's average mobile download speed reached 70.41 Mb/s, up from 62.27 Mb/s a year ago, while the average upload speed was 15.94 Mb/s, an increase from 14.88 Mb/s over the same period.

MTN had the highest average download speed at 83.08 Mb/s, an upload speed of 24.14 Mb/s and a latency of 30 ms.

“MTN’s strong network performance is expected. For the past decade, it has invested R10-billion a year in its network infrastructure,” outlined the Mobile Network Quality Report.

The report shows that MTN increased its capital expenditure in South Africa by 15% over the last year, which included upgrading infrastructure with advanced batteries and generators, which helped MTN to ensure reliable mobile services amid ongoing electricity challenges in South Africa.

Vodacom, meanwhile, had a download speed of 79.70 Mb/s, upload speed of 14.83 Mb/s and latency of 30 ms.

While Vodacom ranked second in overall network performance behind MTN, it achieved the highest 5G speeds, the report highlighted.

“Vodacom is aggressively expanding its 5G network across South Africa, and the latest results showed the impact of its investment.”

MTN performed best in eThekwini, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay, while Vodacom performed best in Johannesburg, Mangaung and Cape Town.

The Mobile Network Quality Report further revealed a significant improvement from Cell C, with its network performance now surpassing that of Telkom and Rain.

During the second quarter of 2024, Cell C’s download speed reached 54.50 Mb/s, an increase from the 38.63 Mb/s in the second quarter of 2023, while it recorded upload speeds of 16.65 Mb/s and latency of 37 ms.

“This improvement is closely linked to Cell C’s migration to MTN’s network and optimisation of its virtual network. This migration and optimisation helped Cell C cement its position ahead of Telkom and Rain regarding network performance,” the report explained.

The report recorded download speeds of 32.29 Mb/s, upload speeds of 11.79 Mb/s and latency of 35 ms from Telkom.

Rain had the worst performance, with an average download speed of 21.31 Mb/s, well below the national average, along with upload speeds of 11.39 Mb/s and latency of 28 ms.

The report is based on 288 210 speed tests performed by 7 092 mobile data users across South Africa between April 1 and June 30, with testing including data from crowdsourced users and dedicated drive tests, ensuring a balanced and accurate representation of real-world network performance.