![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/MTN-logo-sim-card-dark.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMTN stopped selling its fixed LTE products through third-party Internet service providers last year and implemented a hidden network optimisation algorithm to manage its 4G network capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The network optimisation algorithm is a safety net that adds a layer of throttling on top of MTN\u2019s existing Fair Usage Policy (FUP) for uncapped products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two industry sources who spoke on condition of anonymity told MyBroadband about the secret changes MTN implemented last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey weren\u2019t forthcoming with ISPs at first. They encouraged ISPs to push users from 4G to 5G and said 5G users will have a much better experience,\u201d one source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first, MTN pushed ISPs to sell 5G routers, even if customers were not in a 5G area, to help ease congestion on its LTE network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also implemented a hidden 30-day rolling window FUP to curb high usage on its LTE network. This is in addition to the FUP restrictions already enforced, which differ between ISPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, Afrihost offers 20Mbps, 50Mbps, 100Mbps, and Wireless Plus packages with FUP thresholds ranging from 100GB to 500GB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once a subscriber exceeds the FUP thresholds for a package, their speeds can be throttled to between 1Mbps and 50Mbps, depending on which threshold was exceeded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MTN\u2019s new network optimisation algorithm segments customers into seven tiers (Tier 0-6) and applies additional restrictions on their connections to alleviate network congestion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUsing dynamic decision-making, the system evaluates real-time and historical network conditions \u2014 considering congestion, peak hours, device type, and usage \u2014 to apply optimisation rules,\u201d it stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked for comment on the additional throttling, MTN explained that it offers both capped and uncapped Home Internet plans, and that its FUP applies only to uncapped packages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor customers whose Home Internet needs have grown beyond their current plan, they can top up using a range of offers to either boost or restore their speed during the final days of the month,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn addition, the flexibility of the MTN Home Internet portfolio allows customers to switch to larger or smaller plans as their needs or budget change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MTN said that once uncapped Home Internet customers reach their monthly data thresholds, the fair usage policy ensures continued connectivity by gradually adjusting speeds based on usage thresholds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis approach helps maintain a balanced and consistent network experience for all users whilst keeping customers connected. MTN needs to ensure a good network experience for all mobile and Home Internet customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MTN said it still sells Home Internet services in 4G and 5G areas, and stated that all new Home Internet offers include 5G routers regardless of network coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It did not reveal the mechanics of its new rolling 30-day network optimisation algorithm. However, our sources provided the following summary about how MTN determines which tier a subscriber falls into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MTN quietly implemented a new rule on 1 January 2026 that locks the SIM cards of fixed wireless customers with older LTE\/4G routers to the device.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":472009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62528,14],"tags":[101384,1669,22727,82663,42],"class_list":["post-627091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5g","category-cellular","tag-5g-fixed-wireless-internet","tag-afrihost","tag-fixed-wireless-access-fwa","tag-fixed-4g","tag-mtn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627091"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627091"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":627119,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627091\/revisions\/627119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Tier<\/th> Usage volume<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> 0<\/td> Under 50 GB<\/td><\/tr> 1<\/td> 50 \u2013 100 GB<\/td><\/tr> 2<\/td> 100 \u2013 250 GB<\/td><\/tr> 3<\/td> 250 \u2013 500 GB<\/td><\/tr> 4<\/td> 500 GB \u2013 1 TB<\/td><\/tr> 5<\/td> 1 \u2013 3 TB<\/td><\/tr> 6<\/td> >3 TB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"