Mobile operator Cell C, which launched its third-generation (3G) mobile network in Cape Town on Thursday, claims it has covered 94% of the city’s population at launch.
Cell C CEO Lars Reichelt says the company will cover 100% of Cape Town by the end of the year with a network delivering average speeds of between 4Mbit/s and 7Mbit/s.
This is in spite of the mountainous terrain, which presents coverage challenges for operators, and onerous environmental impact assessments.
Reichelt says the network extends as far afield as places such as Gordons Bay and Blougbergstrand. He says the city has proved to be the “most challenging step” in the operator’s national 3G roll-out, which has already seen it launch products in Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and East London.
Cell C, the first SA operator to build a 3G cellular network in the 900MHz radio frequency spectrum band, is expected to launch 3G services in Durban and Gauteng before the end of the year.
The 900MHz band gives Cell C a number of competitive advantages over Vodacom and MTN and the company is hoping to capitalise on these.
Advantages include the fact that in-building coverage is often better at the frequency band that Cell C is using for its network. Coverage size around base stations is also better than the 2,1GHz band used by its rivals.
The company has slashed mobile broadband prices to as little as R33/GB. The cheapest data products from MTN and Vodacom cost many times that amount, prompting speculation that Cell C could trigger a price war. So far, though, neither of the two bigger rivals has reacted. — Staff reporter, TechCentral
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