SA 5G speeds show big lag

South Africa’s median download speeds on the most popular 5G devices were among the lowest measured by Ookla in a multi-country analysis of 5G data.

The first question you’re likely to ask yourself as you browse new smartphone models is “To 5G or not to 5G?”

Once you check the Ookla 5G Map to see if your operator has deployed 5G in your area, you’ll probably want to know if the 5G speeds are worth it for your needs. Ookla has analysed Speedtest Intelligence data from the most popular Android and iPhone devices around the world during Q3 2021 to help users see if it’s worth the upgrade.

5G shows a small improvement over 4G on Android in South Africa

The most popular 4G devices in South Africa showed a wide range of median download speeds during Q3 2021, from 18.00 Mbps (Huawei P20 Lite) to 40.69 Mbps (Samsung Galaxy Note10+). South Africa’s median download speeds on the most popular 5G devices were among the lowest Ookla saw, from 43.09 Mbps on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G to 67.09 Mbps on the S21 Ultra 5G.

iPhone 12 was almost twice as fast as the iPhone 11 in South Africa

There weren’t sufficient samples in South Africa to analyse the iPhone 13, so Ookla compared the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 11. The median download speed on the iPhone 12 was almost twice as fast as that on the iPhone 11 during Q3 2021.

While these speeds seem faster, they are nowhere near as fast as other countries with 5G deployments. This may be a factor of inconsistent emergency spectrum allocation and network apathy toward supporting the small number of 5G devices outside of city centres.

To read how other countries compared to South Africa, visit https://www.speedtest.net/insights/blog/5g-upgrade-q3-2021/