Fibre or 5G — which suits you?
They fail in different ways and suit different homes. Answer a few questions and we'll explain the reasoning, not just hand you a winner.
Tell us a bit more above and we’ll explain which way to lean.
A guide, not a verdict — it weighs the trade-offs, but availability at your exact address decides it in practice. Check your address to see what you can actually buy.
What it costs, on our own data
Price is where this often gets decided, so here are the real numbers from the catalogues we track rather than general claims. Fixed 5G against the cheapest and median fibre at a comparable speed:
| Speed | Fixed 5G | Cheapest fibre | Median fibre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Mbps 5G | R650 | R349 at 25 Mbps | R549 at 25 Mbps |
| 30 Mbps 5G | R760 | R559 at 50 Mbps | R749 at 50 Mbps |
| 50 Mbps 5G | R880 | R559 at 50 Mbps | R749 at 50 Mbps |
The pattern is consistent: at comparable speeds fibre is generally the cheaper option, and the gap widens as speed rises — fibre tiers keep climbing while fixed-5G products top out much lower. 5G’s advantages are real but they aren’t about price or peak speed; they’re about getting connected at all, immediately, and being able to take it with you.
Caveat on this table: our fixed-5G sample is small (4 packages, MTN-based) next to 405 fibre packages, so treat the 5G column as indicative rather than a full market survey. Fibre figures come from our fibre pricing index, which shows the method in full.
How they actually differ
| Fibre | Fixed 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | Technician, trenching, days to weeks | Plug in a router, same day |
| Landlord permission | Usually needed | Not needed |
| Latency | Low and steady | Higher, and varies with cell load |
| Upload | Often symmetrical or near it | Typically a fraction of download |
| Peak-hour behaviour | More predictable | Shares a radio cell with neighbours |
| Weather | Unaffected | Can be affected |
| Portability | Fixed to the property | Moves with you |
| Power cuts | Your equipment only (street cabinets have batteries) | Also depends on the tower |
That last row catches people out. Fibre keeps working through a power cut if you put your ONT and router on a UPS — the UPS calculator works out how long. With 5G you can power your own router all night and still lose the connection when the tower’s batteries run down, because you don’t control that half.
For a fuller treatment of the trade-offs, see fibre vs 5G in South Africa and LTE vs fibre.
See what’s actually available
One search shows every fibre network and fixed-5G option live at your address, with real monthly prices.