Best mobile data network in South Africa
October 15th 2025
MyBroadband Insights has released its Q3 2025 Mobile Network Quality Report, which shows that MTN still has the best mobile network in South Africa.
The findings are based on 313,632 speed tests conducted by mobile users across South Africa between 1 July and 30 September 2025.
The testing included a combination of crowdsourced data and dedicated drive tests, providing a comprehensive assessment of mobile network performance.
As part of the drive testing, MyBroadband Insights travelled 20,000 km and tested networks in South Africa’s major cities, towns, and roads.
Testing was performed using high-end smartphones with support for the latest technologies, as well as mid-range devices that reflect the experience of typical users.
MTN dominated overall network performance and consistently outperformed its competitors across the most important metrics.
It recorded the highest average download speed at 93.72 Mbps, followed by Vodacom at 72.2 Mbps, Cell C at 66.64 Mbps, Telkom at 46.24 Mbps, and Rain at 22.93 Mbps.
MTN was also the top-performing network in major metros, including Tshwane, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, and Mangaung.
Its strong performance can be attributed to continued investment in infrastructure for both LTE and 5G networks.
Cell C retained second place overall, ahead of Vodacom, with significantly better average upload speeds to compensate for the slightly slower download speed.
Cell C’s performance is driven by completing its customer migration to a virtual radio access network hosted by MTN and optimisation strategies.
Vodacom delivered the best 5G performance in the country, driven by its ongoing investment in the latest network technologies.
Best mobile network in South Africa
To determine the best mobile network in South Africa, each network was given a “Network Quality Score” based on 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 9.95, followed by Cell C at 7.82, Vodacom at 7.45, Telkom at 5.74, and Rain at 4.12.
The following chart and table provide an overview of the mobile network rankings in South Africa.
| Network operator | Download speed (Mbps) | Upload speed (Mbps) | Latency (ms) | Network quality score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTN | 93.72 | 30.02 | 29 | 9.95 |
| Cell C | 66.64 | 29.00 | 35 | 7.82 |
| Vodacom | 72.20 | 15.60 | 32 | 7.45 |
| Telkom | 46.24 | 11.64 | 28 | 5.74 |
| Rain | 22.93 | 11.08 | 30 | 4.12 |