In January 2022, I wrote a post about internet providers in the DRC. I thought it was time to update it with only a few that I use regularly. Apologies if some others are missing. I have not used them.

Without further ado, here are the results of tests done using fast.com on the 27th of September in Kinshasa (Gombe/Ngaliema/GB area) of Canalbox (best speed!), United (2nd place), Vodacom (3rd) and Airtel (4th).

N	ISP	Location	Time	Type	Shared	Download (Mbps)	Latency unloaded (ms)	Loaded (ms)	Upload (Mbps)	Server
1	Canalbox Premium	Ngaliema, Kinshasa	15:00	Fiber	No	47	7	150	7,4	Brazzaville, Johannesburg
2	United	Gombe, Kinshasa	14:16	Fiber	Yes	25	4	121	48	Secausus, US
3	Vodacom	Gombe, Kinshasa	14:10	Operator	No	4,9	0	60	15	Johannesburg, ZA
4	Vodacom	Gombe, Kinshasa	14:13	Operator	No	4,4	0	263	7,4	Johannesburg, ZA
5	Airtel	Gombe, Kinshasa	14:10	Operator	No	4	51	1200	7,7	Luanda, Angola, Fortaleza, Brazil
6	Airtel	Gombe, Kinshasa	14:13	Operator	No	1,4	46	2100	8,9	Luanda, Angola, Fortaleza, Brazil

Speed ranking (average) – 27/09/2023 – Mid-day tests

1. Canalbox Premium – 47 Mbps (download) – UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD
2. United – 25 Mbps (download) – Shared connection – UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD
3. Vodacom – 5 Mbps (download) – LIMITED DOWNLOAD
4. Airtel – 3 Mbps (download) – LIMITED DOWNLOAD

IMPORTANT NOTE : Even though Canalbox came first, perhaps United would have been on top if I had not shared the connection.

To be honest, I mostly use United and Vodacom. Support from United is excellent but speed is not constant and at least once a day the connection drops of a few seconds or minutes.

I will keep you posted on Canalbox over the next few months but for now it seems to be the best offer in terms of price and speed.

Note that Canalbox does not put its fiber underground like United but aerially so installation is much simpler.

However, if a thunderstorms hits or a tree or someone cuts your connection, you have to wait for someone to repair it.

Also, fiber lines to DRC sometimes get cut for repairs or due to theft or general damage. It is better to have a backup line like Vodacom and Airtel when the main fiber line is cut.

Price analysis

Ranking	ISP	Download speed from test	Package	Stated speed	Price USD
1	Canalbox	47 Mbps ∓25% (approx)	Premium	“50 Mbps”	89	/month	25 USD installation
2	United	25 Mbps ∓75% (partagé, approx)	Esengo	“50 Mbps”	190	/month	100 USD installation
3	Vodacom	5 Mbps ∓50% (approx)	NA	NA	100	/210 GB/month	No installation
4	Airtel	3 Mbps ∓50% (approx)	NA	NA	100	/200 GB/month

Disclaimer : Results may vary. Independent study/tests. Not sponsored by any ISP.