The most popular fibre-to-the-home speeds in South Africa

The most popular fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) speeds in South Africa are generally on the lower end of the scale regarding download speeds and pricing, with packages ranging from 25Mbps to 100Mbps being the most prominent.

MyBroadband asked several prominent Internet service providers (ISPs) in South Africa about the most popular FTTH speeds among their customers.

Axxess owner Franco Barbalich told MyBroadband that the ISP’s most popular packages are in the 25Mbps to 100Mbps range, with many on 50Mbps lines.

“Customers cluster in the 25–100Mbps range, with a strong mode at 50Mbps,” he said.

Webafrica chief commercial officer Greg Wright told MyBroadband that its customers prefer the “new entry-level” speeds, which vary based on their fibre network operator (FNO).

“Our most popular packages range in speed from 50Mbps to 75Mbps,” he said.

We also asked ISPs whether their customers prefer symmetrical or asymmetrical packages within these speed ranges.

A symmetrical package refers to one with an upload speed equivalent to the download speed.

Barbalich said lower and higher-tier packages, those as low as 25Mbps and those 100Mbps or higher, tend to be overwhelmingly symmetrical.

However, Axxess sees a meaningful share of asymmetrical products in the mid-tier category, around 50Mbps to 60Mbps.

Webafrica’s Wright said at least 80% of its customers prefer asymmetrical offerings over symmetrical packages.

“I imagine this is because of the price variance between the two and less so because of practical reasons,” he added.

While entry-level fibre speeds have increased in recent years, several slower packages are still available to South African residents.

A MyBroadband analysis in March 2025 revealed that the slowest download speed available on a FTTH connection in South Africa at the time was 5Mbps.

The symmetrical 5Mbps package is available through Comtel Connect and was priced at R307 per month through Afrihost.

Our analysis also revealed that there are still multiple 10Mbps and 15Mbps FTTH packages available in the country, with prices ranging from R397 to R797 per month.

FTTH rollouts slowing down

Several major FNOs in South Africa only plan to expand their coverage areas marginally in 2025, and these are primarily limited to affluent neighbourhoods and low-income areas immediately adjacent to existing networks.

South Africa saw FTTH rollouts slow in 2024 after many years of rapid expansion to capitalise on high demand for reliable fixed Internet connectivity. This trend is set to continue in 2025.

In January 2025, FNOs Vumatel, MetroFibre, and Herotel told MyBroadband that their primary goal in 2025 is to secure more customers in areas with existing coverage.

Vumatel, South Africa’s largest FNO, said improving its connection rate and monetising its assets was critical.

For reference, Vumatel’s latest network figures show that it has a connection rate of 40.4%, with its network passing just over two million homes and roughly 830,000 homes connected.

Its homes passed figure exceeded two million in late 2023, and it has remained around that level since then.

It said it will continue to build and expand coverage. However, new rollouts will be determined by demand, meaning it is unlikely to expand into areas where rival FNOs already have coverage.

The country’s third-largest FNO by homes passed, Herotel, also plans to prioritise signing up new customers in areas where it already has coverage.

Expansions will be focused on nearby business and industrial zones and a “few” new residential areas.

Its latest network figures, reported in March 2025, show that its network has passed 585,981 homes and connected 293,036, giving it a connection rate of 50.01%, the highest of South Africa’s FNOs.

However, considering that the number of homes connected jumped from 134,019 to nearly 300,000 by March 2025, it appears that its efforts to boost its connectivity ratio are paying off.

MetroFibre told MyBroadband that its strategy for the year was to increase the penetration and saturation of its FTTH network and drive up its connectivity ratio.

“We are focusing on ‘sweating’ our assets to ensure better utilisation of our existing infrastructure and greater efficiencies,” it said.

However, regarding expansion plans, the FNO said it is looking to acquire complementary networks or businesses and expand its network marginally, where feasible.

“Furthermore, we will continue to develop solutions for the changing needs of our residential customers, and specifically underserved communities that do not currently have fibre, near to our current network,” MetroFibre added.