The state of mobile network experience in Africa

The mobile network experience across Africa varies widely, shaped by differences in macroeconomic conditions, investment, regulatory frameworks and infrastructure across the continent. Opensignal's analysis of 27 African markets shows how each nation compares to its peers, using key measures, such as Download Speed Experience — the overall average download speeds seen by our users — and Consistent Quality (CQ). A deeper look at users' time on different network technologies highlights some of the underlying reasons for network experience disparities, including the persistence of older technologies.

Key Insights:

• South Africa stands out in download speed: Smartphone users in South Africa observe the fastest Download Speed Experience on the continent at 34.5Mbps — about 50% faster than second-placed Zimbabwe and over four times faster than last-placed Angola.
• There are notable disparities in Consistent Quality: While South Africa and Tunisia perform relatively well, around 60% of analyzed African countries score below 30% in CQ, highlighting connectivity struggles to maintain the stable performance needed for even basic digital services in many African countries. 
• Reliance on 2G and 3G limits users' experience:  Across all compared markets, our users spend 8.3% to 38.5% of their time on 3G and 2G networks, with 63% of the markets spending over 20% of the time on older technologies that restrict both the Download Speed Experience and CQ.
• Time with No Signal (%) remains a challenge: In Tunisia, users spend the highest proportion of their time without a signal, highlighting significant gaps in service and infrastructure. South Africa is at the other end of the table, observing minimal time without a signal.
   

Our analysis shows that smartphone users see a diverse mobile experience across Africa. Starting with average download speeds, South Africa sets the bar among compared African markets at 34.5Mbps — 50% faster than second placed Zimbabwe’s  22.9Mbps, followed by Morocco, Kenya, Tunisia and Madagascar — the only other markets to score above 20Mbps. The download speeds observed in South Africa are at least two times faster than in 20 out of 27 analyzed markets and 4.4 times faster than last placed Angola.

While fast download speeds are crucial for user experience, they do not tell the whole story, as being able to run applications without interruption is an important factor for a satisfactory network experience. Therefore, we now turn to Consistent Quality, which measures whether the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical tasks on their devices, such as video calling, uploading an image to social media, or using smart home applications will be possible without noticeable lag or slowdown.

We combine different experience indicators such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet discard, and time to first byte to calculate Consistent Quality. These components are evaluated against thresholds recommended by various more demanding common applications used for a range of common tasks. 

Our analysis shows that South Africa performs strongly in terms of Consistent Quality,  leading with a score of 58.6%, less than one percentage point ahead of Tunisia. Meanwhile, in more than half of compared African markets, Consistent Quality scores are below 30%, suggesting that connectivity struggles to maintain the stable performance needed for even basic digital services in many African countries — especially in markets like Mali, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Ethiopia where Consistent Quality is lower than 10%. 

South Africa's strong network performance, despite its large geography and population, results from significant investment in infrastructure and effective regulatory support. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has implemented technology-neutral licensing, enabling operators to reallocate spectrum from older networks to more efficient 4G and 5G services.

In 2022, ICASA's mid-band spectrum auction, which raised $970 million, meant that operators could enhance their 4G networks and kick-start 5G rollouts. These investments and efforts from operators, supported by regulatory flexibility, have made South Africa a regional leader. Our recent findings show that South Africa ranks sixth in the EMEA region among the large land mass markets for 5G Download Speed with a score of 183.3Mbps.
 

In 11 out of 27 compared African markets, users spend over 20% of their time connected to 3G, an aging technology that lacks the speed and capacity to support modern applications. Additionally, in Mali and Zimbabwe, users spend over 6% of their time on 2G, restricting data-intensive service usage. 

Another critical factor impacting user experience is the proportion of time users spend with no signal, an issue prevalent in markets with challenging infrastructure conditions. Our Tunisian users experience no mobile connectivity for over 5% of the time, followed by users in Mali, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This lack of access underscores the need to expand connectivity in some markets. By contrast, South Africa and Rwanda see minimal no-signal time —less than 1%. 

The reliance on legacy networks and significant time with no signal across many African markets is mainly an economic challenge, which stems from the need for robust supporting infrastructure. The combined costs of improving backhaul, ensuring that sites in remote locations have power, having backup generators to cope with load-shedding, and losses from vandalism and theft are considerable. Device affordability is another challenge, especially with 4G/5G enabled devices. Low digital literacy and skills are also holding back mobile internet adoptions in the region. 

However, several governments and telecom companies are focused on increasing 4G and 5G adoption and developing programs to gradually phase out 3G and 2G. For example, Airtel Nigeria announced sunsetting its 2G and 3G services in certain areas, reallocating resources to 4G in 2022.  Meanwhile, South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) has extended the deadline for phasing out 2G and 3G networks to December 2027. The country’s major operators are trying to prepare their customers for the migration by running initiatives such as offering upgrade incentives and educational campaigns. However, there are concerns that the switch-off could disrupt essential systems and cut off cellular access for many internet users across Africa as they rely primarily on mobile connectivity, which is often their main or only means of accessing the internet due to the limited availability and high cost of fixed broadband services, especially in rural and remote areas.  

Overall, moving users to more advanced networks will unlock access to faster connectivity and data-rich applications that drive digital inclusion and economic participation — from mobile financial services and digital commerce platforms to digital government and public services, education and healthcare. However, reliance on older networks limits these opportunities, hindering productivity and restricting access to essential resources and digital inclusion.

To bridge the digital divide across the continent, African markets must prioritize several key areas: investing in infrastructure, ensuring efficient spectrum allocation, creating supportive regulatory frameworks, improving digital skills, addressing device affordability, and promoting the broader adoption of 4G and 5G technologies. These efforts can empower users with the connectivity they need to fully participate in a digital world and seize new economic opportunities.

With collaborative efforts among operators, policymakers, regulators, continental and international institutions, and the private sector, Africa can accelerate digital adoption and inclusion, contributing to Africa's Agenda 2063 and broader socio-economic objectives. Opensignal will continue to monitor how connectivity improvements shape the mobile experience across Africa and contribute to the continent’s digital transformation.  For further insights, please contact us, and subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed on Opensignal’s latest analyses.