South Africa’s best and worst mobile networks
MyBroadband Insights Q1 2026 Mobile Network Quality Report shows that MTN is South Africa’s best mobile network, while Rain remains at the bottom.
The research is based on over 315,000 speed tests conducted by mobile users across South Africa during Q1 2026.
The test combined crowdsourced data and dedicated drive tests to provide a comprehensive assessment of mobile network performance.
As part of the drive testing, MyBroadband Insights drove 20,000km and tested networks in South Africa’s major cities, towns, and roads.
The testing was performed on high-end smartphones that support the latest technologies, as well as mid-range devices that reflect the experience of typical users.
MTN dominated the rankings and consistently outperformed its competitors across key metrics. It had the highest average download speed of 83.01 Mbps.
This was followed by Vodacom at 70.69 Mbps, Cell C at 62.02 Mbps and Telkom at 51.55 Mbps. Rain was in last place at 22.01 Mbps, which is around 25% of MTN’s download speed.
MTN had the top-performing network in major metros, including Tshwane, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, and Mangaung.
“Its strong performance is attributed to continued investment in infrastructure for both LTE and 5G networks,” said MyBroadband Insights.
Vodacom had the second-best score overall, with its strong 5G performance offsetting its lower 4G performance.
While Cell C performs well thanks to its strong upload speeds, it is held back by its lack of 5G support.
To determine the best mobile network in the country, each network was assigned a “Network Quality Score” based on download, upload, and latency speeds.
The Network Quality Score, out of 10, shows how a network performs relative to others. MTN was top with a score of 9.77.
Vodacom followed at 7.95, trailed by Cell C at 7.85, Telkom at 6.42, and Rain at 4.35. The table below provides an overview of the mobile network rankings in South Africa:
| Network Operator | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) | Latency (ms) | Network Quality Score |
| MTN | 83.01 | 28.15 | 29 | 9.77 |
| Vodacom | 70.69 | 15.52 | 30 | 7.95 |
| Cell C | 62.02 | 29.00 | 39 | 7.85 |
| Telkom | 51.55 | 11.74 | 28 | 6.42 |
| Rain | 22.01 | 10.97 | 27 | 4.35 |
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