Airtel beats MTN to internet speeds in tests across SSA
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Airtel delivered fastest median download and upload speeds, beating market leader MTN in the second quarter ended June (Q2 2022), according to Speedtest Intelligence data.
The data analysed the internet speed performance of four mobile service providers across 10 countries in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and was published by Ookla Insights.
South Africa produced the best speeds as a result of 5G deployment.
The four operators singled out for the tests – Airtel, Orange, MTN, and Vodacom – have a combined 62 per cent subscriptions in SSA and the 10 countries selected account for 59 per cent of the region’s connections.
Head-to-head performance between Airtel and MTN across their three countries of operation puts Airtel ahead in Nigeria, both in terms of median download and upload speed in Q2 2022.
There were no winners in Uganda and Rwanda.
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Airtel, better speed. MTN better 4G Availability
MTN commanded 38.9 per cent of Nigeria’s mobile market in Q2 2022 with 74.1 million subscribers, almost double that of Airtel at 46.0 million.
But Airtel did better in performance, according to reporting by Nairametrics.
It recorded a median download speed of 30.35 Mbps and a median upload speed of 10.28 Mbps, both of which topped those of MTN (26.30 Mbps download and 9.13 Mbps upload).
Those speeds are set to increase as both telcos have invested heavily in network infrastructure, with a combined N208.5 billion ($502 million).
The investment translates into an increase in 4G Availability as well. In Q2 2022, MTN had 83.8 per cent 4G Availability compared with Airtel on 77.9 per cent.
5G advantage
South African operators came first in mobile speeds in Q2 2022, thanks to 5G networks.
Johannesburg led the pack with a median download speed of 66.54 Mbps, ahead of Cape Town at 49.22 Mbps.
Vodacom got ahead of MTN in Johannesburg and was the fastest operator across the 12 cities used, with a median download speed of 81.36 Mbps in Q2 2022 compared with 73.83 Mbps in Q1 2022.
MTN was faster in Cape Town and was well ahead of the rest of the operators.
Median download, upload speeds
Speedtest Intelligence used data to compare mobile performance on modern chipsets across 21 operators.
Median download speeds ranged between 2.89 Mbps (MTN Guinea) and 65.95 Mbps (MTN South Africa).
Median upload speeds varied between 1.55 Mbps (MTN Guinea) and 14.84 Mbps (Airtel Uganda).
The impact of 5G on overall performance shows a median download speed of 65.95 Mbps, followed by Vodacom South Africa with a median download speed of 48.70 Mbps.
Taking 5G out of the equation, Safaricom Kenya was the fastest operator analysed, with a median download speed of 36.25 Mbps and upload of 13.83 Mbps.
