South Africa’s mobile networks are once again setting the pace for the continent. New performance data from Ookla shows MTN and Vodacom dominating mobile speeds across Sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting South Africa’s continued investment in network capacity, spectrum rollout, and accelerating 5G adoption.
The analysis covers MTN, Vodacom, Orange, and Airtel across eight key African markets. While growth, coverage and infrastructure strategies differ across regions, one trend continues to stand out. South Africa remains the benchmark for mobile performance in Africa, and telecom groups are positioning for the next phase of connectivity competition.
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MTN tops Africa for mobile performance
MTN South Africa delivered the strongest overall speeds in the report period. According to Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence data, MTN achieved a median mobile download speed of 74.76 Mbps across all technologies in the first half of 2025. The operator also posted a median upload speed of 13.65 Mbps.
These results place MTN at the top of performance rankings across the eight countries surveyed. The figures highlight the impact of MTN’s continued 4G optimisation, fibre backhaul expansion and targeted 5G deployment.
The operator has repeatedly signalled its focus on network quality as a differentiator in South Africa’s congested and competitive market. Improved network speeds also support MTN’s broader financial strategy as it deepens fintech ambitions and digital services across the continent.
Vodacom leads the continent in 5G performance
While MTN dominates on overall mobile performance, Vodacom took top honours in one of the most critical growth categories: 5G. Vodacom posted a median 5G download speed of 174.9 Mbps and an upload speed of 11.86 Mbps.
South Africa remains the largest live 5G market in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Vodacom’s leadership in this category signals its strategy to win early enterprise and consumer use cases. From mobile broadband to fixed-wireless solutions, 5G has emerged as a competitive battleground for reliability and future-ready speed tiers.
5G momentum is slowly building in other African markets, but constraints around spectrum, device affordability, and power infrastructure continue to slow mass adoption. South Africa’s comparatively higher smartphone penetration and enterprise digitalisation trends have helped create a more favourable runway.
Regional telecom race shaping up at Africa Tech Festival
Ookla industry analyst Karim Yaici, author of the data analysis, will unpack these insights at Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town from 11 to 13 November. The conversation comes at a critical moment. African operators are navigating spectrum policy shifts, rural expansion strategies, and demand for lower-cost data.
While South Africa leads on network quality, other markets are making strategic moves. Operators in Kenya, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire are scaling fibre and mobile infrastructure, preparing for wider 5G deployment and digital-first public services.
Even with competitive pressures, the message from the data is clear. Connectivity performance is emerging as a frontline differentiator for telecom groups, and the operators that can scale speed, reliability and affordability fastest will shape the next phase of Africa’s digital economy.
Why speeds matter for Africa’s digital future
Faster networks are not only about streaming and gaming. In Africa, mobile performance underpins financial inclusion, SME growth, e-learning, remote work and government digital transformation. As cloud services rise and AI tools begin entering mainstream business use, capacity becomes a competitive advantage for economies, not just telcos.
South Africa’s leadership puts pressure on peers across the continent, but it also sets a blueprint. With cloud regions expanding, fintech transaction volumes climbing, and content platforms growing, telecom performance is now closely linked to GDP-level economic outcomes.
