This is according to the 2022 Speedtest Global Index published by US-based internet speed analysis firm Ookla. South Africa, the continent’s internet speed leader—with an average mobile internet download speed of 68.9 megabits per second (mbps) is way below the global average mobile download speed of 77.7 mbps. Ookla also compared mobile internet performance in the second quarter of 2022 on modern chipsets across 21 mobile network operators, with results showing that median download speeds were as low as 2.89 mbps in Guinea and as high as 65.95 mbps in South Africa. “We can clearly see the impact that 5G has on overall performance as South African operators came first thanks to having 5G networks in place. MTN South Africa was well ahead of the rest of operators, despite facing challenges with load shedding, with median download speed of 65.95 mbps, followed by Vodacom South Africa with a median download speed of 48.70 mbps. If we take 5G out of the equation, Safaricom Kenya was the fastest operator among the analyzed operators,” Sylwia Kechiche, principal industry analyst, enterprise at Ookla says in the report. South Africa takes position 46 globally, and in Africa it is followed by Togo, Mauritius, Morocco, Botswana at download speeds.
SOURCE: QUARTZ AFRICA