MTN is now the best-performing legacy voice call provider in South Africa, surpassing Vodacom, Rain, Telkom, and Cell C in the recently published 2025 Mobile Voice Network Quality Report.
Between May 20 and July 7, 2025, 34,323 test calls spanning over 10,000 kilometres across cities, towns, and national roads served as the basis for the study, which was created by MyBroadband Insights.
How the research was conducted
Researchers used sophisticated Keysight Nemo testing systems on high-end phones to compare five operators—MTN, Vodacom, Rain, Telkom, and Cell C—against global benchmarks to guarantee an equitable, technology-neutral evaluation of call performance.
This thorough testing process gave users a comprehensive understanding of each network’s performance in real-world scenarios, giving them a realistic idea of what to anticipate from regular communication.
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The study assessed four key performance indicators: the Mean Opinion Score, which gauges audio quality and clarity; the Call Setup Success Ratio; the Dropped Call Ratio; and the Call Setup Time.
The ETSI system, well-known throughout Europe and beyond, was used to score these results after comparing them to ICASA’s End-user and Subscriber Charter.
In this thorough assessment, MTN received 77.47 points, the lowest dropped call ratio and the highest call setup success rate nationwide. This exceptional performance strengthened MTN’s reputation as a trustworthy industry leader by making it the most dependable network for making and receiving calls for the millions of South Africans who still rely on traditional voice services.
Vodacom was recognised for having the quickest call setup time—just 1.91 seconds—and took second place with 75.09 points. However, it could not overtake MTN due to its marginally higher dropped call ratio.
With scores in the mid-60s, Rain and Telkom were tied for third place; Rain was commended in particular for having the highest voice quality rating (4.48).
Unfortunately, Cell C’s poor performance, which included frequent call drops, slow setup times, and poor reliability, caused it to finish last with a score of just 34.09.
This outcome was not surprising to long-time irate consumers, but it highlights the increasing difficulties Cell C has in keeping users in an increasingly competitive market.
Continued significance of voice calls
Despite the dominance of data-driven platforms such as Zoom and WhatsApp in contemporary communication, the survey emphasises the continued significance of voice calls.
Millions of South Africans still depend on reliable voice connections for emergencies, work, and family communications, especially in rural areas with patchy 4G and 5G coverage.
The results demonstrate that, despite the quick advancements in digital services, customers still evaluate mobile carriers based on their capacity to deliver a dependable and clear phone call.
This explains why regular users, who place a high value on consistency, are so moved by the headline result—MTN surpassing Vodacom.
General patterns in South Africa’s telecom industry
The rankings also show more general patterns in the telecom industry in South Africa. While Rain and Telkom exhibit distinct strengths without comparable scale or resources, MTN and Vodacom dominate the high-performance segment.
Cell C, on the other hand, is still far behind and has difficulty winning back its customers’ trust. Similar trends can be seen abroad, where MTN routinely outperforms competitors like Airtel in Nigeria while Vodafone lags behind incumbents in some regions of Europe, demonstrating that dependability is a market-neutral competitive advantage.
Strong voice networks will remain necessary as 5G coverage grows in South Africa and operators invest significantly in data-first services.
The 2025 report affirms that voice communication is still the foundation of mobile connectivity, and MTN’s win shows that consumers value a combination of innovation, dependability, and consistency when identifying market leaders.