Vodacom switches on LTE in SA
Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub announced today at the MyBroadband Conference 2012 that Vodacom’s LTE service has been switched on and is open for business.
The service is initially available in
Johannesburg, with other cities to follow in the near future.
Joosub said “Vodacom was the first network in
SA to test LTE more than two years ago, and since then we’ve been busy
upgrading base stations and our fibre-optic transmission network in preparation
for today. It’s great to claim another South African first for Vodacom with the
launch of LTE services to the public, and it’s even more pleasing that we’ve
done this ahead of many other advanced economies around the world. South Africa
has joined an exclusive club with the fastest connectivity the world has to
offer.”
LTE represents a major jump in mobile
connectivity capabilities. The service has the potential to operate at more
than double the speed of any existing mobile connection currently commercially
available in South Africa, and at significant multiples faster than the 2G and
3G connections common across the country. Higher speed and lower latency
translate into a more stable user experience with stutter-free video and almost
instantaneous music and picture downloads.
Contract customers with LTE capable devices
can activate the service from today by simply calling 111 or visiting any
Vodacom shop*. LTE capable devices will be on sale in selected Vodacom outlets
before the end of October, with priority going to existing Vodacom customers.
Commenting on Vodacom’s intention to be the
first choice for anyone looking to connect via this new technology, Joosub said
“LTE devices are in short supply world-wide, but thanks to Vodafone’s global
purchasing power we’re confident that Vodacom will have the best possible
selection in stores in the very near future.”
The LTE service will initially be accessible
via approximately 70 base stations in Johannesburg. A coverage map is available
on www.vodacom.co.za.
Further announcements will be made with respect to the network roll-out plans
in due course.
Joosub said “Switching on commercial LTE
services is just one step in a much bigger network transformation. With over
9,000 base stations, Vodacom already has by far the most extensive
network in South Africa and on average delivers faster connection speeds. Our
challenge isn’t keeping ahead of the other operators – it’s keeping ahead of
the tidal wave of data demand. Ninety percent of our 3G base stations are 21.6
Mbps enabled, and almost 80% are 43.2 Mbps enabled. By the end of the year we
aim to have 500 sites enabled for LTE.
Speaking about the factors constraining
Vodacom, Joosub said “We’ll be rolling out LTE services using existing
spectrum, but to unlock the full potential of this technology and transform
connectivity in South Africa, we still need additional spectrum to be released
by ICASA.”
Joosub added “Data isn’t a commodity. Not only
the speed of connections but also the quality can vary widely. We invested R7
billion in our network last year and are aiming for similar levels this year in
order to deal with increasing data volumes and provide an even better
experience. I’m convinced that Vodacom’s competitive offerings and superior
network strategy will give us a clear lead in the industry.”
Summing up, Joosub said “With the launch of
Vodacom’s commercial LTE service, a whole new world of connected services
becomes possible. Next generation HD video and voice services will come into
their own, real-time gaming via mobile becomes possible, and the SMME and
Enterprise markets will benefit from the almost immediate access to files and
information that this technology brings.”
*The LTE service requires a 64k or 128k SIM
card
* The current Vodacom LTE coverage map can be downloaded here: http://www.vodacom.co.za/cs/
* Follow Gadget on Twitter on @GadgetZA
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