Best ADSL network for gaming

Latest MyBroadband Speedtest statistics reveal which ADSL networks provide the best performance

James Etherington-SmithAugust 3, 2012

MyBroadband’s latest Speedtest statistics show that ADSL connections operating on the Internet Solutions network offer the best South African latency, at an average of 94ms. Cybersmart is last on the list, with a still respectable 139ms.

On international Speedtest results, Internet Solutions again ranked top, with an average latency of 233ms. Telkom propped up the bottom of the list with an average of 290ms.

For online gamers, a stable internet connection with consistently low latency and minimal data packet loss is important. For this reason, ADSL is usually the connection of choice for gamers, when it is available. Many games can operate well over a low bandwidth connection, but poor latency can be the downfall of an online match.

MyBroadband’s Speedtest filters thousands of results based on IP address ranges, user survey input, and other variables to ensure accurate results are achieved. Tests are made to Johannesburg and London Speedtest servers to differentiate between local and international network performance.

SA Speedtest results

The following table provides an overview of the average local latency for South African ADSL network operators, based on tests made by users to MyBroadband’s Johannesburg Speedtest server:

South African Speedtests	Average Latency (ms)
Internet Solutions	94
MWEB	105
Web Africa	118
Telkom	123
Cybersmart	139

International Speedtest results

The following table provides an overview of the average international latency for South African ADSL network operators, based on tests made by users to Speedtest’s London server: