Mobile network MTN continues to dominate its competitors, especially Cell C and Vodacom, in the battle for the best mobile network quality.
Cell C maintained its second spot with Vodacom in third place.
MyBroadband Insights published the latest data in its Mobile Network Quality Report for 2025, revealing that MTN continues to offer the best mobile network in South Africa.
According to the report, while Vodacom has the best 5G network in South Africa, it still lags behind Cell C in overall performance.
Download speed
MTN dominated overall network performance and consistently outperformed its competitors across key metrics.
It recorded the highest average download speed at 83.94Mbps, followed by Vodacom at 67.02Mbps, Cell C at 61.9Mbps, Telkom at 44.94Mbps, and Rain at 22.13Mbps.
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 is attributed to continued investment in LTE and 5G infrastructure.
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Upload speed
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 closing in but not quite matching MTN’s, which hosts its virtual radio access network.
Vodacom delivered the best 5G performance in the country, driven by the ongoing investment in the latest network technologies.
Best mobile network in South Africa
MTN reigned supreme with a Network Quality Score of 9.96, followed by Cell C at 8.02, Vodacom at 7.69, Telkom at 6.06, and Rain at 4.38.
The table below provides an overview of the mobile network rankings in South Africa.
Findings
The findings are based on 1.3 million speed tests conducted by mobile users across South Africa during 2025.
The testing combined crowdsourced data and dedicated drive tests to provide a comprehensive assessment of mobile network performance.
Using smartphones
As part of the drive testing, MyBroadband Insights travelled 73 000km and tested networks in South Africa’s major cities, towns, and roads.
Testing was performed on high-end smartphones supporting the latest technologies, as well as on mid-range devices that reflect the experience of typical users.
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, shows how a network performs relative to others.
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