Uncapped LTE and 5G price showdown

Internet connectivity is essential in the modern age, and while some households may not have fibre coverage, they can get a fixed-LTE package for as little as R249 per month and a fixed-5G connection for just R449 per month.

As fixed-5G and fixed-LTE connections leverage South Africa’s mobile networks, they often offer coverage in areas that fibre networks don’t reach.

However, it should be noted that these providers typically implement fair usage policies (FUPs) to protect the integrity of their networks.

These FUPs allow a certain amount of monthly data usage, after which the network throttles the connection.

MyBroadband compared the uncapped fixed-LTE and fixed-5G packages from various providers based on pricing and their FUPs.

We have excluded Vodacom from the comparison as its packages feature a “hard lock” and aren’t genuinely uncapped, unlike the rest.

Uncapped fixed-LTE price comparison

MTN’s “up to 10Mbps” package for R249 per month has a limited 100GB FUP, after which it throttles speeds to 2Mbps.

Several options do not limit speeds from the beginning, offering best-effort speeds until the FUP is reached.

These include Supersonic Fixed-LTE Lite, Axxess Uncapped LTE Pro, and Supersonic Fixed-LTE Premium for R499, R779, and R899, respectively.

All three plans are on MTN’s network, with the Supersonic Fixed-LTE Lite product carrying a FUP of 400GB, after which speeds are throttled to 2Mbps.

The Axxess Uncapped LTE Pro and Supersonic Fixed-LTE Premium plans feature an FUP of 1TB before speeds are reduced to 2Mbps.

A comparison of uncapped fixed-4G packages available in South Africa is summarised in the table below.

Uncapped fixed-5G price comparison

Axxess offers the most affordable uncapped fixed-5G package in South Africa at R449 per month for speeds up to 500Mbps.

The speed of 500Mbps is the theoretical top speed for the 5G connection and depends on router capabilities and several other factors.

Axxess doesn’t throttle speeds until an FUP is reached. The FUPs vary based on package tier, with the lowest-tier R449 package carrying a FUP of 300GB before being throttled to 2Mbps.

MTN’s MyMTN Home Premium package is the next most affordable at R499 per month.

It offers speeds up to 35Mbps until a 500GB cap is reached, after which speeds are throttled to 10Mbps for the remainder of the month.

Axxess’s Pro, Pro+, and Ultra packages feature FUPs of 600GB, 1TB, and 1.6TB, respectively, and prices range from R759 to R1,459.

Rain has unified its products under one package — RainOne — which includes a fixed-5G connection with speeds of up to 30Mbps for R595 per month.

Customers can upgrade their 5G speeds to 60Mbps or 100Mbps for R200 or R400 extra per month, respectively.

The RainOne plan is the only fixed-5G package available with no FUP. The plan also includes free monthly calls and 4G data for two phones.

A comparison of uncapped fixed-5G packages available in South Africa is summarised in the table below.

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