Vodacom, South Africa’s leading mobile network operator, has extended its long-term evolution (LTE) services providing high-speed access to the internet beyond its contract customers.
“The service was initially available to contract customers, but with increased LTE coverage and a much wider range of devices now available, LTE services have now also been made available to prepaid and top up customers,” said Vodacom in a statement.
Shameel Joosub, Vodacom chief executive, said: “We started out with 70 LTE capable base stations in Gauteng, and just five months on we’ve now got approaching 600 live LTE sites covering Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria and Durban. Another 400 are planned by the end of the year.
“This is the culmination of a massive investment in high speed fibre transmission and an overhaul of our radio network countrywide. It’s the reason that Vodacom’s network has the widest high speed coverage in South Africa and why we’re the clear choice for the best data experience.”
The “massive investment” consists of more than ZAR6 billion (US$648 million) per year. This adds to the construction of LTE coverage as well as the network of 3G base stations.
Vodacom claims to have 50 per cent more base stations than any other operator.
“All customers who have a Vodacom supported LTE capable device will be automatically provisioned for the LTE service within 24 hours of the device being registered on the network. In certain instances the settings may need to be changed directly on the device,” said Vodacom.
“We want everyone to have access to the latest technology and fastest mobile connection, so there’s no additional charge for LTE. All you’ll need is a 64kb or higher SIM card and a compatible device. It’s that simple,” concluded Joosub.
Customers are able to view which areas are not yet equipped with LTE though a coverage map on Vodacom’s website.
