MTN Group dominates the continent’s overall speed rankings, while Vodacom has emerged as the clear frontrunner in the 5G race in the first half of 2025, a recent data from Speedtest Intelligence by Ookla Research reveals.
MTN Group’s aggressive investment in 4G and 5G rollout, combined with network optimisation across key markets like South Africa, Nigeria, and Uganda, has solidified its position as Africa’s speed leader.
The report reveals that while MTN holds the overall title, its rival Vodacom has claimed the 5G crown in South Africa.
Vodacom’s focused strategy, which includes utilising wider spectrum bandwidth, allowed it to deliver a superior 5G user experience, with a median 5G download speed of 174.9 Mbps and an upload speed of 11.86 Mbps, making it the fastest 5G network in the country.
However, MTN’s strength in 5G is seen regionally, as its operations in Uganda, Nigeria, and Botswana were the only ones in the Speedtest ranking to achieve 5G median download speeds above 200 Mbps.
MTN South Africa was crowned the fastest operator across all technologies in sub-Saharan Africa, recording a median download speed of 74.76 Mbps and an upload speed of 13.65 Mbps.
Southern Africa leads the continent in mobile broadband speeds. Southern African operators, including MTN South Africa, Mascom, and Orange Botswana, posted median download speeds above 50 Mbps.
Nigeria’s competitive market saw MTN Nigeria record a 5G median download speed of 226.6 Mbps, positioning it as the fastest operator in West Africa.
In East Africa, Safaricom remains the undisputed leader in Kenya, with a median download speed of 43 Mbps, which is a significant 2.4 times faster than its main rival, Airtel Kenya, the report noted.
The lowest performance across the continent was recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Vodacom posted the lowest overall median download speed at 14.8 Mbps.
The results from the report highlight a growing divergence in network strategies, with some operators prioritising widespread 4G and overall coverage, while others focus on high-speed 5G network densification in urban centers.
