South Africa’s leading operator Vodacom’s business unit has rolled out its long term evolution (LTE) offering to small businesses of up to four employees, saying the operator wants to provide small businesses with access to affordable high speed connectivity.
Companies of up to four employees in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg can now apply for Vodacom’s Broadband Connect LTE service, which promises to deliver stable connectivity with speeds of up to three times faster than 3G, with Vodacom terming the technology a “game changer”.
“To thrive in today’s competitive environment, businesses need to be scalable, connected and responsive. Broadband Connect LTE enables small businesses to be Ready Businesses by providing high quality broadband connectivity to increase workforce productivity, improve customer relationships and support collaboration with colleagues, suppliers and partners – the core tenets of a Ready Business,” said Ermano Quartero, managing executive of products and services at Vodacom Business.
“Broadband Connect LTE is a game changer when it comes to how small businesses experience the internet,” said Quartero.
“Its higher speeds of approximately 9Mbps and lower latency mean a more stable user experience.”
The LTE offering is available on various monthly allowance options ranging from 5 gigabytes (GB) of data for ZAR479 (US$45) on a 12 month contract or ZAR399 (US$37.5) on a 24 month contract, to 40 GB of data for ZAR1,679 (US$158) on a 12 month contract or ZAR1,399 (US$131.7) on a 24 month contract.
Vodacom said the SME’s Broadband Connect LTE provides small businesses with a solid base to make further cost savings, by combining technologies such as cloud computing and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to achieve further cost reductions.
The operator said other added benefits of the LTE offering include that it bypasses common problems with current ADSL services such as cable theft and signal affected by harsh weather conditions.
To apply, businesses can visit any Vodacom Business in Retail store in Johannesburg, Durban or Cape Town, and must have their company VAT number.
HumanIPO reported Vodacom originally launched its first commercial LTE service in October 2012.
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