Vodacom South Africa’s expanded investment in its network is starting to pay dividends: the company has been ranked “best in test” by independent benchmarking organisation Umlaut.

It’s the first time in years that Vodacom has won the accolade and suggests the company’s increased capital expenditure – at R11-billion/year, it’s now outspending biggest rival MTN South Africa – is having a beneficial impact on its network performance.

In recent years, report after report by third-party measurement companies – including Ookla, owner of the speedtest.net platform – have put MTN’s network ahead of Vodacom’s. That followed several years in which MTN outspent Vodacom in capex.

It’s early days, but the tables may now be turning in Vodacom’s favour.

Vodacom said the latest report by Umlaut has placed it ahead of its rivals in reliability, data services and “crowd-sourced quality”. As a result, it intends to use the phrase “most reliable network” in its latest marketing efforts. MTN uses the term “SA’s best network” in its advertising.

Speaking to TechCentral about the Umlaut report, Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub said it shows the “massive capex investment” that Vodacom South Africa has made in its network in the recent past. Vodacom South Africa CEO Sitho Mdlalose described the report finding as “a very big win” from what is “without a shadow of a doubt the most credible” third-party testing company.

‘Ahead’

“The Umlaut report reveals that Vodacom South Africa had the highest overall reliability score, with 401 out of 493 points. This means customers receive the most reliable network connection for voice and data services and consistent user experience in the country,” Vodacom said in a statement.

“In key performance indicators from crowd-sourced samples, Vodacom was ahead of the competition in broadband coverage, including coverage reach and quality. It also outperformed in basic internet download speeds and latency for both OTT voice and gaming services,” it said, referring to “over the top” voice services like WhatsApp calling. “In addition, the crowd-sourced samples gave Vodacom the highest score for high-definition voice services.”