How South Africa compares
⚡ Fastest ISPs in South Africa
Desktop vs mobile
By operating system
📡 Most-used test servers
Internet in South Africa: what the data shows
At a median 24.0 Mbps download, South Africa sits below the midpoint of the table: #74 of 119 ranked countries, 29% below the global median of 33.9 Mbps. The world's fastest median belongs to the United States at 144 Mbps, more than 5× the speed measured here.
The median upload is 17.9 Mbps, about 75% of the download rate: the balance typical of a market mixing fibre with cable or DSL plans. Median latency is 99 ms. That is on the high side: pages and video still load, but calls, gaming and screen sharing carry a visible delay.
The fastest measured provider, fibertime at 35 Mbps, sits close to the national median: providers cluster tightly here, so the plan tier you buy matters more than which network you pick.
Desktops test faster than phones here (63 vs 14 Mbps): home Wi-Fi and wired links outrun the mobile networks that carry 45% of tests. By operating system, Linux devices record the quickest median (179 Mbps) while Android sits at 12 Mbps, usually a proxy for the networks and hardware each platform rides on rather than the software itself.
Tests from South Africa most often reached the Cape Town test server (58% of the top-server mix), so the figures reflect the routes everyday traffic actually takes. Every number on this page is a median of single-stream browser tests from the H1 2026 window: Real-World Speed, measured on the open internet rather than inside an ISP's own network. It reads lower than peak-rate tests by design, and every country is measured with the same ruler.
Where South Africa ranks
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Frequently asked questions
What is the average internet speed in South Africa?
In South Africa, the median download speed is 24.0 Mbps and the median upload is 17.9 Mbps, with 99 ms latency, based on 10k+ tests on SpeedOf.Me.
Is the internet in South Africa fast?
South Africa ranks #74 of 119 countries with enough data in this report, with a median download of 24.0 Mbps versus a global median of 33.9 Mbps. That places it below the global midpoint.
How fast is upload speed in South Africa?
The median upload speed in South Africa is 17.9 Mbps, about 75% of its median download of 24.0 Mbps. That asymmetry is normal for cable, DSL and mobile plans, which prioritise download capacity.
Is latency in South Africa good for gaming and video calls?
The median latency measured in South Africa is 99 ms. That is on the high side: pages and video still load, but calls, gaming and screen sharing carry a visible delay.
Which internet provider is fastest in South Africa?
Among providers with enough measured tests in this report, fibertime records the fastest median download in South Africa at 35 Mbps, ahead of Web Telecom Services at 35 Mbps. These are measured medians from real user tests, not advertised plan speeds.
Is mobile or desktop internet faster in South Africa?
Desktop is faster: 63 Mbps median versus 14 Mbps on mobile, with mobile devices running 45% of tests in South Africa.
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