Looking for a new mobile network? Visiting each mobile network to find which one is right for you is only going to leave you with a head full of very similar promises. Mobile Store takes an objective look at South Africa’s top mobile networks — and offers you a look at how they stack up competitively; what speeds they offer; how many subscribers they have; and what to look for when browsing for a new network.
How do SA’s mobile networks stack up against one another?
South Africa’s top mobile networks are tested and ranked each yearly quarter using their download speeds, upload speeds and latency. This gives them an overall quality score rating. As of the last quarter of 2021, MTN placed as the top mobile network in South Africa. Below is a list of the top networks and their quality score rating:
- MTN - 9.58
- Vodacom - 6.25
- Telkom - 5.18
- Cell C - 4.09
- Rain - 3.42
What are the average speeds across the major networks?
South Africa’s internet speeds have improved over the years and received their biggest jump in speeds and consistency when the Coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020. This is because most telecommunications companies invested more in infrastructure to take on the lockdown load.
In January 2020, the average download speeds were 20Mbps which improved to 40 Mbps at the end of 2021. This, of course, is an average across the major networks, which means some networks will be able to sustain higher speeds than the average, while some will not.
How much money are mobile networks making per customer?
Mobile operators offer customers prepaid and contract plans and make an average amount of revenue (ARPU) per customer on each kind of plan.
Based on their subscribers, take a look at how much these mobile networks are making per customer per year:
MTN
33.5 million subscribers
Prepaid ARPU: R76
Contract ARPU: R255
Annual revenue for 2021: R3,283 billion
Vodacom
45.4 million subscribers
Prepaid ARPU: R56
Contract ARPU: R299
Annual revenue for 2021: R4,086 billion
Telkom
16.3 million subscribers
Prepaid ARPU: R67
Contract ARPU: R217
Annual revenue for 2021: R1,499 billion
Cell C
12.9 million subscribers
Prepaid ARPU: R66
Contract ARPU: R305
Annual revenue for 2021: R1,243 billion
What to consider when choosing the right mobile network for you
Affordability
The biggest thing to consider whenever you are looking to start a new contract, or buy a phone for a prepaid plan, is, “Can I afford this?” Although it may be easy to get drawn into buying the latest iPhone or Android phone, you’ll need to look at your budget to see how much you can spend.
Out of the many countries where MTN and Vodacom operate, their prices in South Africa are amongst the highest when it comes to data prices.
Out of five countries, namely – South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, DRC and Mozambique – South African customers using Vodacom are paying the highest for 1 GB of data.
Out of 10 countries, MTN customers in South Africa are paying the 3rd highest for 1 GB. Overall, South Africa ranks 33rd out of 46 countries when it comes to data affordability.
Coverage
There’s nothing more frustrating than desperately trying to send a message or make a phone call when there’s no signal.
But how can we figure out what our daily signal will be like before we choose a carrier? Well, that’s almost impossible to figure out, however, reading up on which mobile network is making bigger and better advances in expanding their network and improving it can help. Vodacom, Telkom and MTN already have 5G as a part of their offering, with Cell C offering 4G or LTE only, and plans to offer 5G soon.
What’s in it for me?
One of the most exciting parts of looking for a new phone is looking at what mobile networks can offer you.
There are so many contracts and prepaid options available to suit every kind of need.
Need data? Or minutes? What about SMSs? What about all three? You can find whatever you need with ease, by using Mobile Store’s filters when searching on our website.
SA’s top mobile networks available on Mobile Store
It isn’t easy choosing a mobile network for your next smartphone — mostly because there are pros and cons to every one of them. At the end of the day, go with your gut - except if your gut is telling you to get the most expensive phone when you can’t afford it!
In most cases, you can trust Mobile Store to help guide you through your next purchase with ease.
Browse smartphones across four mobile networks on Mobile Store!