Internet and connectivity speed tester Ookla has released its market analysis for South Africa, ranking the country’s fastest internet service providers (ISPs).
The analysis only takes into account top providers of internet services in the country, ones which account for 3% or more of total test samples in the market in Q2 – smaller providers are not tested.
All providers are ranked based on their Speed Score, which incorporates a measure of each provider’s download and upload speed to rank network performance (90% of the final Speed Score is attributed to download speed and the remaining 10% to upload speed because online experiences are typically more affected by download speed).
Ookla places the most emphasis on the median speeds as those represent what most network providers’ customers will experience on a day-to-day basis.
South African ISPs Ranked by Fastest Fixed Broadband Internet Speed:
9. HeroTel
Speed Score – 14.76
This South African ISP ‘began its journey’ in 2014, and since then have become one of the largest fixed wireless internet providers in the country. HeroTel is currently seeking to expand its Fibre offerings with Hero Fibre.
HeroTel offers Fibre-to-home packages from R399 pm for 10Mbps to R1499 pm for 1000Mbps. It is the slowest and lowest-ranked ISP by Ookla, and also the least consistent.
8. Telkom
Speed Score – 20.04
A leading ICT services provider, Telkom operates in more than 38 countries across Africa. The company is an ISP staple for South Africa and is 39% state-owned.
Telkom offers a bevvy of internet service packages and options, from LTE to Fibre. Users can get its uncapped Fibre starting at R449 pm for 25Mbps.
7. rain
Speed Score – 24.35
rain offers only mobile data to customers in SA. The company was the first in Africa to launch a standalone 5G network, doing so in 2019.
The ISP currently offers many different internet packages including ‘5G for the Home’ models starting at R479 for up to 30Mbps, as well as premium packages for ultra-fast 5G speeds for R699 for the first three months.
6. MWEB
Speed Score – 26.87
A South African ISP mainstay since 1997. MWEB offers Fibre coverage, LTE packages, and VoIP as well as internet security options, and more.
Uncapped Fibre options start at R499 pm for 25Mbps up to 1Gbps for R1449 pm via Open Serve and Vumatel, respectively.
5. Axxess
Speed Score – 30.02
Axxess provides Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) services to South African consumers, offering DSL, LTE, VoIP, and Web Hosting as well.
Depending on the Fibre provider chosen, Axxess offers packages from R395 pm for 5Mbps to R1895 pm for 200Mbps.
4. Vox Telecom
Speed Score – 32.63
Vox offers Fibre, DSL, Mobile Data and Fixed LTE for the home, and Wi-Fi, SD-WAN and DSL options for small businesses, amongst others.
Depending on the Fibre provider and the area, customers can gain access to uncapped fibre from around R699 pm for 20Mbps to around R899 for 50Mbps.
3. Webafrica
Speed Score – 34.21
Webafrica offers fixed LTE, VoIP, and ADSL services, as well as South Africa’s “fastest fibre internet” for home and businesses starting at R399 pm for 25Mbps to R899 for 200Mbps, depending on area and availability.
According to Ookla, Webafrica is the second-most consistent ISP.
2. Afrihost
Speed Score – 35.79
An ‘award-winning South African broadband, web hosting and telecoms service provider’ that offers FTTH, fixed wireless LTE, ADSL, VDSL, Mobile Data, Web Hosting, Cloud Services and more.
Afrihost offers a multitude of Fibre options, with Vumatel, customers can get access from R697 pm for 20Mbps to R2297 pm for 1000Mbps.
1. Cool Ideas
Speed Score – 45.76
The fastest ISP in terms of fixed broadband speeds in South Africa, Cool Ideas has consistently ranked amongst the best ISPs in the country. The company also has the lowest mean latency from amongst South Africa’s top ISPs, and is the most consistent by a wide margin.
Cool Ideas offers FTTH and Fibre-to-the-Business (FTTB) as well as VoIP phones.
Customers can get Cool Ideas Fibre via Vumatel from R749 pm for 20Mbps to R1099 pm for 100Mbps.
By Luis Monzon
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