South Africa
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
South Africa
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
Key Findings
Vodacom takes home Video Experience
In the the last report, Vodacom and MTN jointly won Video Experience. This time, Vodacom claims the award outright, with a score of 58 points on a 100-point scale, and is the only operator in the country to rate as Good (58-68), while other operators place in the Fair (48-58) category. A Good rating means our Vodacom users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
Vodacom retains 5G Download Speed but MTN keeps 5G Upload Speed in a firm grip
Vodacom wins 5G Download Speed outright for the second time in the row, with a score of 215.8Mbps — and retains an impressive lead over MTN, beating it by 50.7Mbps. Both operators see no statistically significant changes in their scores compared to our previous report. MTN remains the sole winner of the 5G Upload Speed award with a score of 21.7Mbps and a winning margin of 2.2Mbps over Vodacom — down from 3.3Mbps seen in the previous report.
The Availability award stays with Telkom
Telkom wins its only award outright for Availability. Our Telkom users connect to 3G or better services 98.2% of the time. This is around 1.8 percentage points ahead of Cell C, MTN and Vodacom, which all tie for second place with scores of 96.3-96.7%. While Telkom sees no statistically significant changes in its score, the remaining three operators see improvements in their scores — ranging from 1.1 percentage points for Vodacom to 2.9 percentage points for Cell C.
Vodacom wins the Consistency award
Vodacom wins the Consistent Quality award with a score of 60.3%. MTN comes second, 5.7 percentage points behind the winner, while Cell C takes the third spot, with a score of 43.2%. These scores reflect the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality. This metric measures if 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 demanding tasks on their devices. It assesses a number of experience indicators such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, and time to first byte.
MTN users continue to see the fastest overall speeds in South Africa
MTN retains both overall speed awards in South Africa. The operator keeps a hold on Download Speed Experience with a score of 40.3Mbps — hitting the 40Mbps mark for the first time, after an impressive boost in its download speeds of 11.3Mbps (39.1%). As a result, it widens its lead over second-placed Vodacom from 3.9 to 9.4Mbps. MTN also increases its winning margin over Vodacom for Upload Speed Experience, from 0.9 to 1.2Mbps and firmly defends the award.
Cell C jointly wins awards for the first time
This is the first time that Cell C wins awards in the Opensignal reports. The operator shares the winners’ podium for Live Video Experience, Games Experience, and Voice App Experience — matching the performance of its competitors.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
In Opensignal's latest South Africa Mobile Network Experience report we introduce for the first time Live Video Experience and 5G Live Video Experience, which quantify the overall and 5G experience of our users watching live events. We also include Consistent Quality, which replaces the Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality awards that featured in previous reports.
MTN leads the award count with five recognitions secured outright and five jointly. It retains both overall speed awards, 5G Upload Speed, 5G Games Experience and 5G Availability. Vodacom is the sole winner of three — Video Experience, 5G Download Speed and Consistent Quality — and the joint winner of a further six awards. Telkom secures its only outright win for Availability, along with two more shared wins, while Cell C has three joint wins to its name. Only two operators in South Africa — MTN and Vodacom — are reportable for 5G metrics.
Rain has announced the expansion of the range of its mobile service in South Africa. On top of previously provided data-only 4G services and 5G fixed wireless access, the operator now offers voice calls, text and 4G mobile coverage with its own infrastructure, along with a converged mobile and fixed plan. Rain acquired 20MHz of spectrum in the 700MHz band and 20MHz in the 2600MHz band during the last, on which the operator has deployed its mobile services.
In this report, we have analyzed the mobile network experience for our South African users on — Cell C, MTN, Telkom, and Vodacom — over the 90 days starting May 1, 2023, and ending July 29, 2023, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
In the last report, Vodacom and MTN jointly won Video Experience. This time, Vodacom claims the award outright, with a score of 58 points on a 100-point scale, and is the only operator in the country to rate as Good (58-68), while other operators place in the Fair (48-58) category. A Good rating means our Vodacom users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users’ real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Video Experience quantifies the quality of video streamed to mobile devices by measuring real-world video streams over an operator's networks. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate video experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the overall video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
In addition to Video Experience, we report on the following metrics related to video experience:
- 5G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Video Experience – 5G Users: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G video experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator’s 3G network.
National Analysis
Cell C, MTN and Vodacom jointly win the Live Video Experience award for the first time in South Africa, with statistically tied scores of 45.7-47.9 points on a 100-point scale. They all rate as Good (43-53) for live video streaming. This means our Cell C, MTN and Vodacom users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 720p with satisfactory loading times, little stalling, and a substantial live offset. Telkom comes last and places in the category below — Fair (33-43).
Live Video Experience score is made up of a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including e.g. initial delay, total stalling time but also live offset — the time difference between real-time and the current playback position a viewer sees.
Unlike Video Experience, which represents on-demand video streams, Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events. For example when users watch live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news where the event is happening at that moment in time.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's network. The metric extends the existing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach used for Opensignal's on-demand Video Experience metric, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including live playback offset, picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived live video experience as reported by real people. To calculate live video experience, we are directly measuring live video streams from end-user devices and using this extension of ITU's approach to quantify the overall live video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
National Analysis
Previously, Vodacom was the sole winner of Games Experience — but this time, all four South African operators find themselves on the winners’ podium for this award, with statistically tied scores of 34.8-35.1 points on a 100 point scale. Regardless of the network they are on, our South African users experience Very Poor (under 40) Games Experience.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-100, it analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience is affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter.
Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world.
Calculating Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games. The score is then measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Games Experience, we report on the following metrics related to games experience:
- 5G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Games Experience – 5G Users: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G games experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
Vodacom is no longer the outright winner for Voice App Experience, as Cell C and Telkom join it on the winners’ podium this time around, with scores of 69-69.9 points on a 100-point scale. MTN comes fourth, with a score of 68.4 points. All operators in South Africa rate as Poor (66-74) in terms of the quality of voice app services experienced by our users.
Definitions
Opensignal's Voice App Experience measures the quality of experience for over-the-top (OTT) voice services — mobile voice apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — using a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Voice App Experience, we report on the following metrics related to voice app experience:
- 5G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Voice App Experience – 5G Users: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G voice app experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
MTN remains the sole winner of Download Speed Experience with a score of 40.3Mbps. It surpasses the 40Mbps mark for the first time, after an impressive boost in its download speeds of 11.3Mbps (39.1%). As a result, it widened its lead over second-placed Vodacom from 3.9 to 9.4Mbps. Vodacom takes second place with a score of 30.9Mbps — our users on this network enjoy 5.8Mbps faster download speeds than in the previous report. Cell C comes third with a score of 19.2Mbps, ahead of Telkom and its score of 11.9Mbps.
Definitions
Measured in Mbps, Download Speed Experience represents the typical everyday speeds a user experiences across an operator’s mobile data networks.
In addition to Download Speed Experience, we report on the following metrics related to download speeds:
- 5G Download Speed: The average download speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Download Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average download speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G download speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Download Speed: The average downlink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Download Speed: The average downlink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
National Analysis
MTN retains Upload Speed Experience award with a score of 7.5Mbps. It increases its winning margin over the runner-up Vodacom for Upload Speed Experience, from 0.9 to 1.2Mbps. Vodacom scores 6.3Mbps, while Cell C and Telkom are in a statistical tie for third place with scores of 3.8-3.9Mbps.
Definitions
Upload Speed Experience measures the average upload speeds for each operator observed by our users across their mobile data networks. Typically upload speeds are slower than download speeds, as current mobile broadband technologies focus resources on providing the best possible download speed for users consuming content on their devices. As mobile internet trends move away from downloading content to creating content and supporting real-time communications services, upload speeds are becoming more vital and new technologies are emerging that boost upstream capacity.
In addition to Upload Speed Experience, we report on five supporting metrics related to upload speeds:
- 5G Upload Speed: The average upload speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G upload speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
5G Experience
National Analysis
After Vodacom won the award outright in the previous report, MTN and Vodacom tied for 5G Video Experience with scores of 69.2-69.9 points on a 100-point scale. 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 when connected to 5G.
5G Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users’ real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
5G Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world video streams when they were connected to 5G. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate 5G Video Experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the video experience observed by our users on each operator’s 5G network on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
National Analysis
MTN and Vodacom share the winners’ podium for 5G Live Video Experience in this — the first South Africa mobile network experience report to feature this award — with scores of 55.5-56.2 points, on a 100-point scale. Both operators place in the Very Good (53-58) category. This means our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 720p or 1080p with low loading times, little stalling, and a satisfactory live offset.
5G Live Video Experience score is made up of a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including e.g. initial delay, total stalling time but also live offset — the time difference between real-time and the current playback position a viewer sees.
Unlike 5G Video Experience, which represents on-demand video streams, 5G Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events. For example when users watch live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news where the event is happening at that moment in time.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's network. The metric extends the existing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach used for Opensignal's on-demand Video Experience metric, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including live playback offset, picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived live video experience as reported by real people. To calculate live video experience, we are directly measuring live video streams from end-user devices and using this extension of ITU's approach to quantify the overall live video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
5G Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world live video streams when they were connected to 5G.
National Analysis
MTN wins 5G Games Experience outright for the second time in a row, with a score of 40.4 points — 1.7 points ahead of Vodacom.
Definitions
5G Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator's 5G network. It analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience was affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter. 5G Games Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
5G Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world. Calculating 5G Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games.
National Analysis
MTN and Vodacom remain joint winners of the 5G Voice App Experience award, with statistically tied scores of 75.5-75.7 on a 100-point score. Both operators place in the Acceptable (74-80) category — some users are satisfied, but some experience perceptible call quality impairments.
Definitions
5G Voice App Experience quantifies the experience of Opensignal users when using over-the-top voice apps — such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — on an operator’s 5G network. It uses a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. 5G Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
National Analysis
Vodacom wins 5G Download Speed outright for the second consecutive time, with a score of 215.8Mbps — and retains an impressive lead over MTN, beating it by 50.7Mbps . Our users on MTN’s network have average 5G download speeds clocking in at 165.1Mbps. Our users on both operators see no statistically significant changes in their scores compared to our previous report.
Definitions
5G Download Speed shows the average download speed experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Download Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
National Analysis
MTN remains the sole winner of the 5G Upload Speed award, winning this time with a score of 21.7Mbps and it commands a lead of 2.2Mbps over Vodacom. However, while MTN’s score remains statistically unchanged since the previous report, our Vodacom users have enjoyed a boost in their average 5G upload speeds of 2.2Mbps compared to the previous report. This means MTN’s winning margin over Vodacom for 5G Upload Speed diminishes from 3.3Mbps to 2.2Mbps.
Definitions
5G Upload Speed measures the average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Upload Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
Coverage
Cell C
MTN
Telkom
Vodacom
National Analysis
Telkom wins its only award outright for Availability. Our Telkom users connect to 3G or better services 98.2% of the time. This is around 1.8 percentage points ahead of Cell C, MTN, and Vodacom, which all tie for second place with scores of 96.3-96.7%. While our Telkom users see no statistically significant changes in their score, the remaining three operators’ scores have improved since the last report — ranging from 1.1 percentage points for Vodacom and 1.8 percentage points for MTN to 2.9 percentage points for Cell C.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
Availability shows the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator’s network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection.
Map Definition
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
National Analysis
MTN wins 5G Availability for the third time in a row, with a score of 10.9% — meaning, our MTN 5G users with 5G subscriptions spend 10.9% of the time with active 5G connections. MTN beats Vodacom by 3.1 percentage points. MTN has seen no statistically significant changes since the previous report, but Vodacom’s score has improved by 2.5 percentage points.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
5G Availability shows the proportion of time Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
Map Definition
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
Consistency
National Analysis
Vodacom wins the Consistent Quality award with a score of 60.3%. MTN comes second, 5.7 percentage points behind the winner, while Cell C takes the third spot, with a score of 43.2%. Telkom comes last, with a score of 42.4%. These scores reflect the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality.
Definitions
Consistent Quality measures if 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.
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.
To calculate the metric value, the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality is multiplied by the test success ratio, which is the proportion of completed tests to all tests conducted. Tests that pass indicate that activities such as video calling, uploading an image to social media, or using smart home applications will be possible without noticeable lag or slowdown.
Related Analysis
Our Methodology
Collecting billions of individual measurements daily from over 100 million devices globally, Opensignal independently analyzes mobile and broadband user experience on every major network operator around the globe.
About Opensignal
Opensignal is the leading global provider of independent insights into consumers' connectivity experiences and choice of carrier. Our proprietary insights into mobile and broadband networks give operators the solutions they need to profitably compete and win, from executive level scorecards and public validation to pin-point level engineering analytics and consumer decision dynamics.
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Confidence Intervals
For every metric we calculate statistical confidence intervals indicated on our graphs. When confidence intervals overlap, our measured results are too close to declare a winner. In those cases, we show a statistical draw. For this reason, some metrics have multiple operator winners.
In our bar graphs we represent confidence intervals as boundaries on either sides of graph bars.
In our supporting-metric charts we show confidence intervals as +/- numerical values.
Why confidence intervals are vital in analyzing mobile network experience