Fastest network for smartphones: Vodacom vs MTN

The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) ruled that Vodacom can claim to have the fastest network for smartphones.

A Vodacom commercial promoting the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 smartphone stated that the operator has the “fastest network for smartphones”.

MTN disputed this claim, and lodged a complaint with the ASA. MTN argued that Vodacom’s claim was unsubstantiated, and that its own network outperformed or was on par with Vodacom’s network.

MTN said that Vodacom cannot claim to “outperform all competitors in all areas at all times”, and therefore cannot claim to have the best network.

The ASA ruled in favour of Vodacom, but this ruling was appealed by MTN. MTN said that the ASA erred on accepting Vodacom’s network test results, and did not look at all MTN’s arguments.

ASA ruling

The ASA said that Ookla speed test results for smartphones showed that Vodacom’s network outperformed its competitors by a significant margin on both download and upload figures.

A Catalyst report also showed that Vodacom’s network outperformed its competitors, which further substantiated Vodacom’s claim.

The ASA said the Ookla results were reliable, and MTN’s appeal against using this data was baseless.

The ASA dismissed MTN’s appeal, which means that Vodacom can claim to have the fastest network for smartphones in South Africa.

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