5G routers are getting cheaper in South Africa
The prices of 5G routers in South Africa have declined substantially in 2025, with many options now available under R3,000.
5G is the latest generation of cellular connectivity and can support triple-digit download speeds and sub-20ms latency.
That makes it a solid alternative to fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity, which is still unavailable to millions of South African households.
Some suburbs also only have access to one fibre network operator (FNO). Most major FNOs do not sell wholesale packages that Internet service providers can price under R500 a month.
Entry-level fixed-5G products are available starting from R299 per month for plans with speeds of 20Mbps and fair usage policies that throttle speeds after the first 100GB of usage in a month.
However, to use these packages, customers must buy their own routers, which is typically included on a free-to-use basis on FTTH products.
The most affordable fixed-5G plan that includes a free-to-use router is Telkom Home Internet 5G, which starts at R499 per month for 40Mbps speeds. However, it requires signing up for a two-year contract.
The prices of routers that support the latest generation of mobile network technology have remained high since Rain became the first operator to offer fixed-5G in 2019.
One of the major factors keeping prices high was the United States barring US companies from working with and using Huawei technologies in that same year.
With access to its technology, it was difficult for original equipment manufacturers to design and produce high-quality 5G routers.
While Samsung and Qualcomm also have a substantial number of patents for 5G technologies, these are primarily for hardware used in smartphones.
That has resulted in 5G smartphones becoming more affordable than 5G routers in recent years, an odd development considering smartphones feature a much wider range of features and capabilities.
Standalone from R2,499 or free on faster plans
In MyBroadband’s previous analysis in December 2024, the most affordable standalone 5G router was the Huawei E6878 5G pocket Wi-Fi router, priced at R3,499 on Cell Network.
That was already a substantial improvement over its R4,999 price tag at the start of 2024. In September 2025, it is available for R2,999 from the same store.
However, it is no longer the most affordable option. This accolade went to the ZTE G5TS, which is priced at R2,499 from Afrihost or Axxess when bought as a standalone product.
The Chinese tech brand offers the country’s widest range of 5G routers and the most affordable 5G smartphones.
Afrihost and Axxess also offer the ZTE G5TS router for free for users of their fastest uncapped wireless Internet packages, priced from R699. On more affordable plans, the ISPs offer the same router for R1,499.
With both the free and discounted options, users must remain on the plans for at least six months, or they will be penalised with a R999 cancellation fee.
Several more routers were available for under R3,000, including the Vodacom-branded X25 Max 5G CPE router, priced at R2,699 from Cellucity.
That is R900 lower than its price on Bob Shop and Technomobi in December 2024. One downside with this option is that it is network-locked to Vodacom.
Another sub-R3,000 option was the ZTE MC888 5G, available for R2,700 from Takealot. This model was previously priced at R4,499 from Afrihost.
The table below compares the most affordable prices of various 5G routers in South Africa in December 2024 and September 2025.
| Model | Store/ISP | December 2024 | September 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZTE G5TS | Afrihost/Axxess | n/a | R2,499 | n/a |
| Vodacom X25 Max 5G MediaTek T750 | Cellucity | R3,599 | R2,699 | -25% |
| ZTE MC801A | Takealot | R2,999 | R2,700 | -10% |
| Huawei E6878 5G mobile Wi-Fi | Cell Network (MTN partner) | R3,499 | R2,999 | -14% |
| ZTE MC888 | Takealot | R4,499 | R2,700 | -40% |
| TP-Link NX510V 5G | Afrihost | R3,999 | R3,999 | No change |
| Teltonika Industrial 5G TRB500 | Takealot | R9,065 | R8,178 | -10% |
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