- MTN and Cell C share co-leadership in South Africa’s overall mobile ranking, with MTN posting the highest Download speed (Mb/s) at 41.3 Mbps and Cell C maintaining the best Latency (ms) for the fifth consecutive year.
- Download speeds progressed across all operators in the overall ranking this year, reflecting a broad-based improvement in network infrastructure across the South African mobile sector.
- Cell C recorded a strong 15% improvement in Upload speed (Mb/s) overall versus the previous period, while Vodacom claimed first place in Web Browsing (%) and Youtube streaming (%) for the first time, signalling meaningful gains in everyday user experience.
MTN and Cell C share the top spot in the nPerf annual mobile barometer for South Africa, covering the period April 2025 to March 2026. The results reveal an intensely competitive market where leadership is contested across every performance indicator and download speeds have progressed across the board.
MTN reaches the summit of the nPerf overall ranking for the first time, sharing co-leadership with Cell C with a score of 48 153 nPoints. The operator leads overall on Download speed (Mb/s) at 41.3 Mbps and Upload speed (Mb/s) at 11.2 Mbps — both category firsts — and also tops Web Browsing (%) overall for the first time, confirming that network investment is translating into measurable gains in real-world user experience. In the 4G segment, MTN claims the best Download speed (Mb/s) at 31.7 Mbps, again a first, underlining the depth of its current network cycle.
Cell C shares co-leadership overall with a score of 48 016 nPoints, a position built on consistent strength across the metrics most relevant to daily users. The operator leads overall on Latency (ms) for the fifth consecutive year and holds the top spot in Youtube streaming (%) overall for the same period. In the 4G segment, Cell C retains first place for the fifth straight year, leading on Upload speed (Mb/s), Latency (ms), Web Browsing (%) and Youtube streaming (%). A strong 15% improvement in Upload speed (Mb/s) overall versus the previous period adds further evidence of long-term structural progress, reflected also in a steady upward trend in its overall score across all five years of available data.
Vodacom completes the podium with a score of 45 488 nPoints, claiming first place overall in Web Browsing (%) and Youtube streaming (%) for the first time. These category wins signal that Vodacom’s network is delivering a quality browsing and streaming experience that competes directly with the sector’s leading operators, even as the gap in raw speed metrics remains. Reducing its overall Latency (ms), currently at 84.2 ms, will be a key lever to mount a closer challenge at the top.
Telkom finishes fourth overall with a score of 27 627 nPoints, ranking second on Latency (ms) both overall and in the 4G segment. The operator faces a significant gap on speed and usage metrics relative to the top three, and closing that distance will be essential to strengthen its competitive standing in an increasingly demanding market.
Measurements are based on tests conducted via the nPerf application on Android and iOS.
nPerf is an independent French Internet performance measurement platform, powered by real user experience. By turning millions of individual measurements into connectivity insights, nPerf helps operators enhance their networks and contributes to building a faster, more reliable Internet for everyone.
