Appetan recently put South Africa’s major mobile networks—Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom—to the test, evaluating their 5G performance across Gauteng’s largest shopping malls. The results revealed some surprising insights into speed, coverage, and overall reliability.
The Testing Process
On February 19 and 20, 2025, Appetan visited the province’s biggest malls equipped with a test bench loaded with Samsung A34 5G smartphones. Each device was set to connect to the best available technology, ensuring that the speed results reflected what an average user could expect under ideal conditions.
Every phone in the test bench ran a speed test every minute using a customized version of the popular Appetan Speed Test App. This not only measured network speeds but also helped map out 5G coverage in each mall—if a device fell back to 4G, it indicated that 5G coverage was lacking in that area.
To maintain fairness, all speed test servers were hosted in Teraco’s vendor-neutral data centers, with NAPAfrica providing a free 10Gbps peering connection to every network operator. This setup ensured that the results reflected real-world performance without external biases.
5G Performance: The Winners and Losers
As the tests unfolded, MTN and Vodacom battled it out in most malls, while Telkom’s performance was disappointing—it didn’t manage a single successful 5G test. Compared to previous tests, Telkom’s decline was notable.
Vodacom delivered the best average speeds in Fourways Mall, Rosebank Mall, and Sandton City, while MTN had superior coverage in all malls except Sandton City.
Detailed Mall Results
Menlyn Mall – MTN Takes the Lead
MTN outperformed Vodacom at Menlyn Mall, providing slightly better coverage and significantly faster speeds.
| Network | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) | Latency (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTN | 193.2 | 25.0 | 14.9 |
| Vodacom | 67.3 | 3.6 | 38.6 |
Mall of Africa – Limited 5G Coverage
Surprisingly, Mall of Africa had weak 5G coverage overall, with only MTN managing to complete occasional tests. Even so, the speeds were respectable.
| Network | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) | Latency (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTN | 173.0 | 21.9 | 9.7 |
Fourways Mall – Vodacom’s Speed Advantage
Fourways Mall saw a closer battle, with Vodacom delivering a significantly faster average download speed, though MTN had broader coverage.
| Network | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) | Latency (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vodacom | 293.7 | 21.1 | 12.8 |
| MTN | 218.9 | 25.6 | 15.6 |
Centurion Mall – MTN’s Stronghold
MTN dominated Centurion Mall, offering widespread 5G coverage and solid speeds. Vodacom managed just one 5G test, which struggled on upload performance but delivered a strong download result.
| Network | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) | Latency (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vodacom | 254.4 | 0.0 | 19.0 |
| MTN | 248.6 | 57.0 | 14.1 |
Rosebank Mall – Speed vs. Coverage
Vodacom delivered the higher average speed inside Rosebank Mall, but MTN’s coverage was three times greater, making it a tough call.
| Network | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) | Latency (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vodacom | 230.6 | 20.9 | 21.0 |
| MTN | 187.7 | 38.8 | 15.6 |
Sandton City – Vodacom’s Clear Victory
Vodacom dominated Sandton City, offering both better speed and coverage compared to MTN.
| Network | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) | Latency (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vodacom | 337.2 | 42.9 | 25.3 |
| MTN | 153.6 | 25.7 | 14.9 |
Final Verdict
This round of 5G testing across Gauteng’s biggest malls highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of South Africa’s top networks.
- Vodacom excelled in raw speed, winning in Fourways Mall, Rosebank Mall, and Sandton City.
- MTN had the best overall coverage, particularly in Menlyn Mall, Mall of Africa, and Centurion Mall.
- Telkom failed to deliver any meaningful 5G performance, marking a sharp decline from previous tests.
For those seeking the fastest 5G experience in Gauteng’s malls, Vodacom seems to be the best bet—but if you prioritize consistent coverage, MTN is the more reliable choice.
Stay tuned for more in-depth network performance reviews from Appetan!
Photo by Frederik Lipfert on Unsplash
