MTN is the best mobile network in South Africa, according to Opensignal’s November 2026 Mobile Network Experience Report. The independent analytics firm says MTN won or shared 10 of the 16 awards in the report, more than any other operator, and took four of them outright: Consistent Quality, Download Speed, Upload Speed and 5G Availability.
The report, written by principal analyst Mohamed Abbas, draws on data collected between 1 July and 28 September 2026. Opensignal measures what its users actually experience on each network, rather than what an operator says its network can deliver, so the awards reflect real use in the field.
Where MTN came out on top
MTN users saw an average download speed of 56.4 Mbps, which Opensignal says is 14.4% faster than Vodacom at 49.3 Mbps and more than double Telkom at 25.1 Mbps. Upload speed was much closer: MTN won outright with 10.4 Mbps, narrowly ahead of Vodacom at 10.1 Mbps and Cell C at 10.0 Mbps.
On Consistent Quality, MTN users scored 71.9%. Opensignal says that is 4.9 percentage points ahead of second-placed Cell C, which scored 66.9%. Opensignal ranks Consistent Quality as its own award, separate from average download speed, so MTN’s win on both shows strength on more than one measure.
MTN also led on 5G Availability. Among all 5G-capable users, those on MTN had 5G available 56.5% of the time, ahead of Vodacom at 53.5%.
Where rivals won
The report is not a clean sweep, and the detail matters for anyone choosing a network for a business.
- Vodacom won both the 5G speed and 5G coverage awards. Its users saw 5G download speeds of 231.1 Mbps, which Opensignal says is 58.2% faster than MTN. Its 5G upload speed of 26.1 Mbps also leads second-placed MTN. On 5G Coverage Experience, Vodacom scored 2.4 points against MTN’s 2.0.
- Cell C shares the Reliability award with MTN. Cell C scored 904 points against MTN’s 901, on a scale of 100 to 1,000. Telkom scored 891, Vodacom 888 and Rain 842.
- Telkom posted the highest 5G Reliability score at 948, in a four-way tie for the award among operators. Telkom also shares Time on Network with MTN, with its users connected to a signal 99.2% of the time.
- Cell C and Telkom each won or shared four awards. They also share the 5G Consistent Quality award with MTN, and they jointly lead Voice App Experience, with scores of 80.8 and 80.9 points.
Rain’s different strategy
Rain stands out on a different measure. Its users were actively connected to 5G 49.4% of the time, which Opensignal says is more than three times as long as users on the next-placed operator, MTN, at 15.1%. The report says this reflects Rain’s 5G-centric network strategy. Rain’s overall reliability score of 842 points was the lowest of the five operators.
The gap between Rain’s time on 5G and its reliability score is a useful reminder that having a newer technology on a handset does not by itself guarantee a good experience. Opensignal’s Reliability measure looks at how well users can connect and complete basic tasks, and it factors in problems that stop a user getting online even when the handset shows a connection to the operator’s network. It covers lower-demand uses such as standard-definition video, over-the-top voice calls and web browsing.
How to read the awards
Opensignal groups its 16 awards into four areas: quality of experience, network performance, coverage experience and application experience. The first covers reliability and consistent quality, each with a 5G version. The second covers download and upload speed, again with 5G versions. The third covers 5G coverage, time on network, time on 5G and 5G availability. The fourth covers games and voice app experience, both with 5G versions.
That structure explains why MTN can be named best network while Vodacom wins on 5G speed. MTN’s strength is breadth: it won or shared awards across several areas. Vodacom’s strength is the top end of 5G performance for the users who are on it. Opensignal describes itself as an independent analyst of how consumers experience connectivity, and says its figures come from measurements collected from users’ devices.
Opensignal’s own terms say journalists may quote the figures with clear attribution, and that the full report, graphs and analysis remain the property of Opensignal Limited. The figures in this article are taken from the report’s published key findings and award results. Where the report gives a competitor’s score, we have repeated it exactly.
What it means for your business
If your staff, drivers or sales teams depend on mobile data, the practical lesson is that no single operator won everything. MTN had the fastest average download and upload speeds and the best Consistent Quality score in the report. Vodacom was faster on 5G, where a handset has a 5G signal. Cell C and Telkom matched or beat MTN on some reliability and voice measures.
Because the data covers the whole country, it will not tell you how a network performs at your office, depot or shop. Test each operator where your people actually work before committing a team to one network, and use national awards as a starting point for that test rather than the answer.
For wider context on the operators behind these results, read our reports on MTN’s tiered wholesale pricing for MVNOs, Vodacom’s view on switching off 3G and Icasa’s proposal for direct licences for new network operators.
