Rouxenator
Dank meme lord
I have recently started to test the performance of 2G (2.75G EDGE) internet connection on various networks. This was due to suspicious that some networks had very poor 2G performance while they have sufficient backhaul capacity to do much better (based on their 3G performance).
So far I have run three batches of tests on different days :
12th of May 2009 (Virgin 2G, Vodacom 2G, Vodacom 3G)
19th of May 2009 (CellC, Virgin, Vodacom)
20th of May 2009 (CellC, MTN, Virgin, Vodacom)
These tests were all done on the same location with line of sight to the Stellenbosch Golf Course tower, all 4 networks had full signal and were used in there home networks.
From these tests it was clear that Vodacom is somewhat behind in terms of speed and a lot behind in terms of international ping times.
This weekend (Saturday 14:30pm) I did a quick test run in Hermanus also with clear line of sight to the tower covering the Zwilihle area. Unsurprisingly the results follow the same pattern as the Stellenbosch tests.
Vodacom is pretty much on par with MTN in terms of download speeds but upload speeds are still a lot slower on Vodacom. Ping times is also something Vodacom 2G struggles with a lot on the international links. This is really a pity since the ping times on Vodacom 3G/HSPA is always below 400ms.
These numbers are the average values of 2 samples taken with www.speedtest.net using a Sentar ST860 EDGE modem.
The conclusion based on this is that since all the international traffic leave the country through the same connection, the delay in ping results on Vodacom therefore occurs inside their own network. Using a 3G or HSPA connection with Vodacom results in speeds of below 400ms.
What are they doing with 2G/EDGE traffic inside the Vodacom network? I don't know - but I will do more tests in other town when I get the time.
So far I have run three batches of tests on different days :
12th of May 2009 (Virgin 2G, Vodacom 2G, Vodacom 3G)
19th of May 2009 (CellC, Virgin, Vodacom)
20th of May 2009 (CellC, MTN, Virgin, Vodacom)
These tests were all done on the same location with line of sight to the Stellenbosch Golf Course tower, all 4 networks had full signal and were used in there home networks.
From these tests it was clear that Vodacom is somewhat behind in terms of speed and a lot behind in terms of international ping times.
This weekend (Saturday 14:30pm) I did a quick test run in Hermanus also with clear line of sight to the tower covering the Zwilihle area. Unsurprisingly the results follow the same pattern as the Stellenbosch tests.
Vodacom is pretty much on par with MTN in terms of download speeds but upload speeds are still a lot slower on Vodacom. Ping times is also something Vodacom 2G struggles with a lot on the international links. This is really a pity since the ping times on Vodacom 3G/HSPA is always below 400ms.
| Ping | Joburg | New York | Lisbon |
| MTN | 1204 | 578 | 560 |
| Vodacom | 1050 | 1151 | 877 |
| Download | Joburg | New York | Lisbon |
| MTN | 180 | 200 | 190 |
| Vodacom | 190 | 175 | 180 |
| Upload | Joburg | New York | Lisbon |
| MTN | 30 | 60 | 70 |
| Vodacom | 30 | 30 | 45 |
The conclusion based on this is that since all the international traffic leave the country through the same connection, the delay in ping results on Vodacom therefore occurs inside their own network. Using a 3G or HSPA connection with Vodacom results in speeds of below 400ms.
What are they doing with 2G/EDGE traffic inside the Vodacom network? I don't know - but I will do more tests in other town when I get the time.