The report is based on 278,890 speed tests which were performed by thousands of Speed Test App users across the country between 1 April and 30 June 2020. The research shows that South Africa had an average mobile download speed of 27.13Mbps and an average upload speed of 10.53Mbps.
Telecoms and Lockdown
During the lockdown, there was pressure on mobile networks to maintain good service levels amidst the increased demand for data. The higher data traffic, which increased by up to 50%, would typically result in a decrease in network speeds.
However, this was not the case thanks to the temporary spectrum issued by ICASA to mobile operators – it even helped some telecoms exceed their average speeds.
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 the network performed in relation to other networks.
MTN reigned supreme with a Network Quality Score of 9.94, followed by Vodacom on 6.17, Telkom on 4.81, Cell C on 4.51, and Rain on 4.24.
The table below provides an overview of the mobile network rankings:
| Network Operator | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) | Latency (ms) | Network Quality Score |
| MTN | 52.28 | 18.92 | 30 | 9.94 |
| Vodacom | 29.08 | 11.36 | 35 | 6.17 |
| Telkom | 20.16 | 6.24 | 31 | 4.81 |
| Cell C | 17.62 | 8.49 | 36 | 4.51 |
| Rain | 10.64 | 9.68 | 29 | 4.24 |