South Africa’s 4G and 5G mobile coverage in 2025
ICASA reported that 58.02% of South Africa’s population was within range of 5G in 2025, up from 46.64% in 2024. That was an increase of 11.38 percentage points. Reported 4G/LTE coverage reached 99.50%. In KwaZulu-Natal, the 5G figures were 80% for the urban population and 15% for the rural population. ICASA’s March 2026 State of the ICT Sector report, Graph 22, p. 41
By Freepaid · Published
How rural and urban 5G coverage compared
The rural column uses each province’s rural population as its base. The urban column uses its urban population. Freepaid calculated each gap by subtracting the rural percentage from the urban percentage. ICASA’s March 2026 report, Graphs 23 and 24, pp. 42–43
| Province | Rural 5G coverage | Urban 5G coverage | Urban–rural gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | 7% | 64% | 57 pp |
| Free State | 25% | 38% | 13 pp |
| Gauteng | 74% | 89% | 15 pp |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 15% | 80% | 65 pp |
| Limpopo | 29% | 72% | 43 pp |
| Mpumalanga | 63% | 78% | 15 pp |
| North West | 16% | 49% | 33 pp |
| Northern Cape | 13% | 41% | 28 pp |
| Western Cape | 34% | 83% | 49 pp |
KwaZulu-Natal had the largest rural–urban difference in the published charts at 65 percentage points. Its reported rural 4G/LTE coverage was 99%, compared with 15% for rural 5G. Across the nine provinces, reported rural 4G/LTE coverage ranged from 89% to 100%. Those figures give a different picture of mobile reach from the 5G figures alone.
What coverage measures
Population coverage estimates the share of people who are within range of a signal. It counts people regardless of whether they subscribe, own a compatible device or use mobile data. ICASA separately reported 82.08% geographical mobile broadband coverage in 2025, compared with 99.89% mobile broadband population coverage. Geographical coverage measures area. Population coverage depends on where people live. ICASA’s March 2026 report, Graph 22, p. 41 and Appendix 2, p. 128
For a business planning around mobile connectivity, the national numbers give context. A coverage check at the site or along the route is more specific. The prepaid subscription reference explains the separate measure of reported mobile subscriptions.
Sources
ICASA’s March 2026 State of the ICT Sector report, Graphs 22–24 is the source for the coverage figures. The table uses the charts. Graph 23 shows the lowest rural 5G figure in the Eastern Cape at 7%, while the text names the Northern Cape. Graph 24 gives Gauteng the highest urban figure at 89%, while the text attributes it to the Western Cape. Freepaid calculated the percentage-point changes from the chart figures.
Last source check · 3 November 2026.