Fibre20.12.2024

Best Fibre network operators in South Africa

An analysis by MyBroadband has found that Herotel is the best FNO in South Africa, followed by Vumatel and Octotel.

These findings are based on feedback from over 5,500 unique users on the MyBroadband Speed Test website.

Between 1 July 2024 and 30 September 2024, each user completed a speed test and specified which FNO they used.

This option is only available to users on a fibre connection, ensuring an accurate sample group.

Users can also submit the advertised speed of their fibre package, and rate their connection out of five.

MyBroadband then used this data to develop an algorithm that determines which FNO performed the best.

Creating this algorithm required careful consideration, as some objective measures do not tell the full story.

For example, one cannot simply rank an FNO by its average download and upload speed, as these speeds depend more on the user’s chosen fibre package than the network’s performance.

MyBroadband therefore crafted a fair and accurate algorithm that takes into account the following factors to generate a score out of 100 for each FNO:

  • Relative speed — The algorithm compares users’ real-world speeds to the advertised speeds of their fibre packages. If these numbers are similar, this indicates the FNO is meeting its promise to the user.
  • Average latency — The algorithm considers the average measured latency for users of a specific FNO. This is an objective measure and is independent of the speed of the selected package.
  • Average jitter — The algorithm considers the average jitter measured for users of a specific FNO. This is an objective measure and is independent of the speed of the selected package.
  • User votes — The algorithm considers user ratings on the MyBroadband Speed Test platform. While these ratings are subjective, they are also an accurate measure of consumer sentiment.

For this article, MyBroadband only used the scores for the largest FNOs in South Africa.

Herotel leads the way

Based on our algorithm, Herotel is South Africa’s leading FNO.

Herotel is South Africa’s third largest FNO by homes passed, and focuses heavily on small towns and areas that have few other connectivity options.

It offers users a high-quality connection that consistently meets the advertised speeds, which is why it placed first in the relative speed and user sentiment categories.

Another likely contributor to Herotel’s excellent user ratings is the fact that it is a closed-access FNO, meaning it deals directly with all its clients.

The next four FNOs on the list — Vumatel, Octotel, Openserve, and Metrofibre — all scored very similarly, with less than 2 points between them.

On the opposite side of the rankings, Vodacom finished last, and performed the worst when it came to relative speed.

Vodacom did perform well in the average latency and average jitter categories — but this was not enough to pull it out of last place.

Evotel and Frogfoot are the only other large FNOs to score a rating under 60.

South Africa’s top FNOs

The table below ranks South Africa’s major FNOs in the third quarter of 2024 based on MyBroadband Speed Test platform data.

FNOScore
Herotel68.02
Vumatel64.88
Octotel63.88
Openserve62.28
Metrofibre62.14
Zoom Fibre60.80
Evotel59.55
Frogfoot57.91
Vodacom52.11
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