The companies powering South Africa’s biggest mobile networks

South Africa’s two largest mobile network operators, MTN and Vodacom, have markedly different approaches to selecting equipment vendors for their respective networks.

While Vodacom primarily uses Nokia and Huawei equipment to power its radio access network, MTN South Africa says it doesn’t have a preferred network provider.

However, it primarily uses Huawei, Ericsson, and ZTE to power its radio access network.

“MTN does not have a preferred network equipment provider. MTN has strategically distributed its network across various vendors, ensuring supply chain resilience,” MTN SA said.

This also helps ensure it meets its customers’ needs while maintaining high network quality.

“Huawei, Ericsson, and ZTE are the main network equipment vendors for MTN in relation to the radio access network,” it said.

“For the core network, Ericsson dominates and is the main equipment supplier, with a very small component delivered by Nokia.”

MTN SA added that Huawei and Cisco are the main equipment providers for its transport core and IP networks.

The mobile network operator explained that, while it previously preferred using Ericsson’s equipment to run its network, vendors from China have become more appealing over the years.

“At the beginning of the rollout in the 90s, MTN’s sole provider was Ericsson,” said MTN SA.

“However, with the rise of equipment vendors from China, like Huawei and ZTE, they have managed to increase their footprint within MTN.”

It noted that the rise has been largely due to competitive pricing, coupled with significant advances in technology applications from these Chinese vendors.

“It is safe to say that Huawei has the majority share of equipment supply, while Ericsson and ZTE remain strong suppliers in several of the MTN regions.

A Vodacom spokesperson told MyBroadband that the network operator uses Nokia and Huawei as its leading network equipment providers.

However, it should be noted that its feedback is primarily related to its radio access network and not its core network.

MyBroadband also asked Rain and Telkom about their preferred network equipment vendors. Telkom declined to comment, and Rain hadn’t answered our query by publication.

MTN’s approach paying dividends

MyBroadband Insights’ 2024 Mobile Network Quality Report revealed that MTN has the best mobile network in South Africa.

The report is based on 1.17 million speed tests performed by 18,649 mobile data users nationwide between 1 January and 31 December 2024.

The report includes data from crowdsourced users and dedicated drive tests to ensure balanced and accurate insight into real-world network performance.

MyBroadband Insights’ drive tests covered 52,000km and performed testing in all major cities and large towns in the country.

MTN took the top spot in all aspects of the network performance tests, significantly outperforming its largest rivals.

It had the highest average download speed at 80.88Mbps. In second place was Vodacom at 65.14Mbps, Cell C at 54.43Mbps, Telkom at 34.07Mbps, and Rain at 21.82Mbps.

MTN also proved to be the best-performing network in all major cities, including Tshwane, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, and Mangaung.

However, it should be noted that Vodacom achieved the best 5G performance in South Africa, thanks to the continued expansion of its 5G network.

To compare the network quality of South Africa’s mobile carriers, each was assigned a “Network Quality Score” based on download speed, upload speed, and latency.

The score, out of 10, shows how a network performed in relation to its rivals.

MTN outshone its competitors with a Network Quality Score of 9.9, followed by Vodacom at 7.72, Cell C at 7.12, Telkom at 5.07, and Rain at 4.51.

The table below provides an overview of the mobile network rankings in South Africa in 2024.