Opensignal has published its South Africa Mobile Network Experience Report which analysis customer experiences in wireless networks.
Some of the key findings of the report are as follows:
Vodacom surpasses the 200Mbps mark for 5G Download Speed
In the previous report, MTN and Vodacom jointly won 5G Download Speed. However, our Vodacom users saw a stunning increase in average 5G download speeds of 66.6 Mbps — 45.8% faster compared to the last time. Vodacom pulls ahead of MTN which saw no statistically significant change in its score compared to our last report. As a result, Vodacom breaks out of the statistical tie it was in with MTN and wins 5G Download Speed outright with a score of 212.2Mbps, commanding an impressive lead of nearly 30% over its competitor. MTN retains 5G Upload Speed, although Vodacom halves the gap between the operators for this metric from 6.6 to 3.3 Mbps.
MTN wins 5G Games Experience outright, but Vodacom keeps overall Games Experience in a firm grip
After sharing the podium for 5G Games Experience with Vodacom in the last report, MTN wins the award outright with a score of 39.5 points. Vodacom comes second, 1.2 points behind the winner. However, Vodacom retains the overall Games Experience award with a score of 34.1, 0.8-1 point ahead of Cell C, MTN, and Telkom that statistically tied for second place, with scores in the 33.1-33 points range.
Vodacom comes first for 5G Video Experience
Vodacom wins 5G Video Experience outright with a score of 77.8 points — beating MTN by 1.9 points. Both operators rate as Very Good (68-78), which means our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling. However, MTN jumps on the winners’ podium for the overall Video Experience and shares the award with the previous sole winner Vodacom, with scores of 47.2-49 points.
MTN retains its awards for the fastest overall speeds in South Africa
MTN users see the fastest average overall download and upload speeds in South Africa. The operator wins Download Speed Experience outright with speeds clocking in at 29Mbps — 3.9Mbps (15.4%) faster than Vodacom’s result of 25.1Mbps. Cell C and Telkom lag behind, with scores of 13.1 and 11.8Mbps, respectively. MTN also keeps Upload Speed Experience in a firm grip, with a score of 6.4Mbps, commanding a lead of 0.9Mbps over Vodacom.
Telkom remains the sole winner for Availability
Telkom retains its only victory in the award table, for Availability. Our Telkom users connect to 3G or better services 97.9% of the time — the best result in South Africa. This is around 2.8 percentage points higher than on MTN and Vodacom’s network, which are in a statistical tie for second place. Meanwhile, MTN defends the other availability award — 5G Availability — with a score of 8.7%, while Vodacom wins 4G Coverage Experience outright with a score of 7.3 points on a 10-point scale.
Vodacom keeps both consistency awards in a firm grip
Vodacom wins both consistency awards for the second time in a row in Opensignal reports. It scores 64.5% for Excellent Consistent Quality (HD video, group video conference calls, and gaming) and 77.5% for Core Consistent Quality (lower performance applications including SD video, voice calls, and web browsing). These scores reflect the percentage of users’ tests in which the operator met the minimum recommended performance thresholds. For Excellent Consistent Quality, it beats second-placed MTN by 5.5 percentage points, while for Core Consistent Quality, Vodacom commands a lead of 3.7 percentage points over runner-up Telkom.
One of the crucial conclusions that can be drawn from the report is that the race in mobile network experience was dominated by MTN and Vodacom. Vodacom and MTN win seven and five awards outright, respectively, and both operators share two additional trophies together, out of 15 awards available. Opensignal’s analysis relied on several factors but some of the main factors that influenced the final decisions included Overall experience, 5G experience, Coverage, and Consistency. While MTN and Vodacom lead the race in mobile network experience, the report highlighted the progress of several other Telecos including, Cell C and Telkom too. It is visible from the analysis that these telecommunication companies have one aim in mind and that is better connectivity and mobile experience for the South African consumer. It is an effort into helping connect the unconnected, enabling new revenue streams and opportunities, and aiding the ongoing digital revolution in Africa.
