With a penetration rate above 90%, South African smartphone users experience the best download speeds and consistent quality (CQ).
New research from Opensignal shows SA “sets the bar” among its peers when it comes to average download speeds, with 34.5Mbps – 50% faster than second-placed Zimbabwe’s 22.9Mbps.
The two nations are followed by Morocco, Kenya, Tunisia and Madagascar – the only other markets to score above 20Mbps, according to Opensignal’s data.
“The download speeds observed in South Africa are at least two times faster than in 20 out of 27 analysed markets and 4.4 times faster than last-placed Angola,” the report says.
The mobile analytics company analysed 27 African markets to establish how each nation compares to its peers,based on data collected between 1 June and 29 August.
Opensignal says it used metrics such as download speed experience – the overall average download speeds seen by users – and CQ. To calculate the CQ, it combines different experience indicators, such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet discard and time to first byte.
Even though fast download speeds are crucial for user experience, Opensignal notes this does not tell the whole story, as being able to run applications without interruption is an important factor for a satisfactory network experience.
Therefore, consistent quality becomes crucial because it measures whether the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical tasks on their devices.
In this instance, the firm determined SA also performs strongly in terms of CQ. The Southern African nation leads with a score of 58.6%, less than one percentage point ahead of North African nation Tunisia.
On the other hand, in more than half of compared African markets, CQ scores are below 30%. This suggests connectivity struggles to maintain the stable performance needed for even basic digital services in many African countries – especially in Mali, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Ethiopia, where it’s lower than 10%.
“South Africa's strong network performance, despite its large geography and population, results from significant investment in infrastructure and effective regulatory support. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has implemented technology-neutral licensing, enabling operators to reallocate spectrum from older networks to more efficient 4G and 5G services.
“In 2022, ICASA's mid-band spectrum auction, which raised $970 million (over R17 billion), meant operators could enhance their 4G networks and kick-start 5G rollouts.
“These investments and efforts from operators, supported by regulatory flexibility, have made South Africa a regional leader. Our recent findings show SA ranks sixth in the EMEA region among the large land mass markets for 5G download speed with a score of 183.3Mbps.”
Measuring how much time smartphone users spend on the various mobile network technologies, the data shows 3G still reigns supreme.
According to Opensignal, in 11 out of 27 compared African markets, users spend over 20% of their time connected to 3G, despite this being an aging technology that “lacks the speed and capacity to support modern applications”.
In Mali and Zimbabwe, users spend over 6% of their time on 2G, restricting data-intensive service usage.
Another factor impacting user experience is the proportion of time users spend with no signal, an issue prevalent in markets with challenging infrastructure conditions, notes the report.
“Our Tunisian users experience no mobile connectivity for over 5% of the time, followed by users in Mali, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This lack of access underscores the need to expand connectivity in some markets. By contrast, SA and Rwanda see minimal no-signal time – less than 1%.
“The reliance on legacy networks and significant time with no signal across many African markets is mainly an economic challenge, which stems from the need for robust supporting infrastructure. The combined costs of improving backhaul, ensuring sites in remote locations have power, having backup generators to cope with load-shedding, and losses from vandalism and theft are considerable.
“Device affordability is another challenge, especially with 4G/5G-enabled devices. Low digital literacy and skills are also holding back mobile internet adoption in the region.
“However, several governments and telecoms companies are focused on increasing 4G and 5G adoption and developing programmes to gradually phase out 3G and 2G.”
There are still nearly two billion 2G and 3G subscribers worldwide, with most expected to gradually migrate to 4G and 5G by 2029, according to Ericsson’s Mobility Report.
Research firm Omdia forecasts that 2G and 3G networks will still represent 0.4% and 7%, respectively, of SA’s subscriptions by 2028.
The broader adoption of advanced technologies beyond 2G and 3G has reached fever pitch in SA, with industry bodies calling for a more phased approach to sunset these mobile networks.
This, after the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies set December 2027 as the deadline for phasing out 2G and 3G networks.
Although major operators are trying to prepare their customers for the migration, there are concerns that the switch-off could disrupt essential systems and cut off cellular access for many internet users across Africa, as they rely primarily on mobile connectivity.
Opensignal says: “Moving users to more advanced networks will unlock access to faster connectivity and data-rich applications that drive digital inclusion and economic participation – from mobile financial services and digital commerce platforms, to digital government and public services, education and healthcare. However, reliance on older networks limits these opportunities, hindering productivity and restricting access to essential resources and digital inclusion.
“To bridge the digital divide across the continent, African markets must prioritise several key areas: investing in infrastructure, ensuring efficient spectrum allocation, creating supportive regulatory frameworks, improving digital skills, addressing device affordability, and promoting the broader adoption of 4G and 5G technologies.”
* All graphs supplied by Opensignal.
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