Speed test confirms MTN’s leadership position in Uganda

New data collected from independent tests carried out on Speedtest.net indicate MTN Uganda has maintained a substantial distance ahead of competition in the provision of high speed Internet in Uganda.

However, last week techjaja a publication from Uganda reported that Africell and Vodafone Uganda have taken the spotlight away from Uganda’s telecom giant. Whereas Africell scored overall best download speeds, not only was Vodafone close second, but also scooped the number one upload speed position. In Uganda, when it comes time to choosing mobile internet service, there’s more to put into consideration than just price. Some mobile data networks offer data speeds that are demonstrably faster than others. Other carriers, while perhaps not the fastest, may have better nationwide data coverage.

The tests, carried out at various locations around Kampala put MTN’s average 3G speed at 11.793Mbps ahead of Africell’s 5.467Mbps and Airtel’s 4.826Mbps, according to data from Speedtest.net.

MTN’s 4G/LTE network, which was re-launched last year with countrywide coverage, exhibited speeds in excess of 60Mbps, with the highest speed of 68.84Mpbs being recorded at Garden City in Kampala.

With the widest 4G footprint in Uganda, MTN last year announced it had increased its network investment in a bid to deliver a world-class experience to its customers.

“To lead innovation means enabling our customers to do more in their lives, thereby delivering on our vision of a bold new digital world. Our customers are looking for a differentiated user experience with affordable data products and services,” said Mr Brian Gouldie, CEO of MTN Uganda at the launch of LTE in July 2015.

MTN Uganda is taking an initiative, not only to bring the internet to some communities for the first time, but also to upgrade those using traditional technologies like 2G to faster and wider 3G internet connectivity.

Ericsson estimates that doubling the speed of broadband can directly impact the GDP growth by 0.3%, while according to UNESCO, for every 10% increase in data penetration, developing countries could add as much as 1.3% growth to their GDP. Such is the significance of internet in the modern era.

MTN would like to continue to drive growth in data access and connectivity, leveraging its extensive investment over the past 3 years as well as to increase access to affordable 3G devices, thereby maintaining its leadership position in the provision of data services in Uganda.

MTN’s leadership in the Internet category dates back to 2010, where MTN Uganda showed its commitment to all its customers, by giving 10 MB of free data every month, an offering that was later increased to 15 MB, to be enjoyed all its customers until recently. This proposition was anchored by the Internet is a Human Right campaign that launched in 2011.