MTN has the best mobile network in South Africa

Bradley Prior

Bradley Prior

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MTN has the best mobile network in South Africa

MyBroadband Insights has released its Q4 2018 Mobile Network Quality Report, which shows that MTN has the best mobile network in South Africa.

The report is based on 383,479 speed tests which were performed by thousands of MyBroadband Android Speed Test App users across South Africa between 1 October 2018 and 31 December 2018.
 
Gaz{M} said:
No, but still it's nonsense to just make one up.
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You make a few assumptions, like the fact that the network quality score is made up.

A few things to consider.
  • There are a few network quality reports for South Africa, and all of them use some form of network quality score/measurement. Ookla, for example, use a score of 9 x Download Speed and 1 x Upload Speed.
  • Our network quality score is based on a consumer survey, where mobile data users were asked to rate how important each component of the network is to them.
To measure network quality or network performance and rank networks, a network quality score is needed. Some people use 1 component only – download speed – while others use multiple components.

If you can propose a better way to rank network quality, we are definitely interested. We are always looking to improve our methodology.
 
"You can't make your own network quality score"

Okay so ookla made their own score and everyone is fine with that?

I did notice a trend though. Everytime mybroadband post finding on who is rated the best ISP or who is the best network provider people can't wait to come and call the results a fraud. Mybb actually did a massive drive test with samsung over months and people sit behind the keyboards and call the results fraud or fake because their favourite ISP or Carrier did not win best ISP? Silly TBH..

Vodacom and MTN is like pulling each side of a rope. It can go both ways that is how close it actually is but if you comes second you still lost. It's just how it is. Someone wins and someone loses.

All that said I'm really keen to see how stats start to change with Cellc/MTN roamiung deal and Telkom/Vodacom roaming deal. Things should be a lot closer then.
 
cavedog said:
Mybb actually did a massive drive test with samsung over months...
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As a participant in the test I can confirm this. It is great fun getting to drive around the country and see places you might not have otherwise, but it is also still work.

You don't just arrive in Klerksdorp, hit the monument, and then park off in a guest house. You have to criss-cross the town and make sure that you've got a solid set of samples. For a place like Bloemfontein it takes at least two days of intensive stop-start driving to cover the whole area.

cavedog said:
Vodacom and MTN is like pulling each side of a rope. It can go both ways that is how close it actually is but if you comes second you still lost. It's just how it is. Someone wins and someone loses.
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QFT. It's already a big achievement for MTN that it closed the gap in terms of network quality with Vodacom. It's great to see that it's retained the title of best mobile network several measuring periods in a row. I'd certainly have two strong mobile network operators in the country than one.

cavedog said:
All that said I'm really keen to see how stats start to change with Cellc/MTN roamiung deal and Telkom/Vodacom roaming deal. Things should be a lot closer then.
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Indeed. We don't currently measure data roaming. It would be great to be able to when the 4G roaming deals are in full swing.
 
Jan said:
Indeed. We don't currently measure data roaming. It would be great to be able to when the 4G roaming deals are in full swing.
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Are you sure? With Vodacom roaming on Rain you probably are without realising it. Same goes for Telkom's upcoming seemless roaming on Vodacom's network.
 
bwana said:
Are you sure? With Vodacom roaming on Rain you probably are without realising it. Same goes for Telkom's upcoming seemless roaming on Vodacom's network.
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Indeed. If you have a Samsung and see 4G+ on Vodacom then guess what. You are roaming on a Rain tower. Can be confirmed by dialing *#0011#
 
bwana said:
With Vodacom roaming on Rain you probably are without realising it. Same goes for Telkom's upcoming seemless roaming on Vodacom's network.
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Fair nitpick. I was (perhaps not-so-obviously) referring to disabling the data roaming option in the connection settings of Android.

So as the new roaming agreements come into effect, that "blind spot" of the drive tests will go away.
 
My problem is that speed will be lower on Telkom and CellC as they sell more data, therefore more consumers use data on their platforms. That doesn't make their network worse, just more utilized.
 
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