Cell C’s 4G network claims: The battle continues

Rudolph Muller

Rudolph Muller is the editor at MyBroadband and covers telecoms and broadband news. Rudolph comes from an academic background, but left the University of...

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Cell C continues to punt its 4G and 4Gs network, but this claim is starting to cause more problems than only the mockery from tech savvy observers

Cell C’s claims that it is rolling out a 4G network made headlines earlier this year when the company said in a press statement that “an important factor in the decision to appoint ZTE is its ability to offer 4G services using Cell C’s 900MHz frequency band.”

Tech-savvy observers were quick to point out that Cell C is making false claims, and Vodacom CEO Pieter Uys even poked fun at the company saying that “there is an urban legend doing the rounds that there is a 4G network being built,” pointing to the fact that it is not possible to roll out a 4G network.

Cell C however continues to beat the same drum despite the fact that they are well aware that the 4G standard is yet to be ratified and that their network does not satisfy 4G network standards

A further aggravating factor is that Cell C has chosen to incorporate their 4G network claims into the new advertising and branding campaign, but with a slight variation. Cell C is now calling its network a 4Gs network instead of 4G.

Cell C CEO Lars Reichelt recently explained that 4Gs stands for ‘4 Great Speed’ and ’4 Great Service’, but this slight variation – which some people described as a feeble attempt to save face after being caught lying about rolling out a 4G network – was not enough to stop official complaints about Cell C’s claims.

Both Vodacom and MTN have lodged complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) alleging that Cell C is misleading consumers with their assertion of having built a 4G network. Cell C however disagrees that its claims are misleading.

Cell C’s Chief Information Officer Ron Reddick said that he does not see the term 4G as misleading. “We’re offering you something different, something fast,” Reddick said.

Reddick added that the US operators T-Mobile and Sprint have also used the term 4G in their marketing campaigns, and that the US’s advertising regulations are probably stricter than those of South Africa.

Sprint launched a WiMAX 802.16e network with the HTC EVO 4G as their flagship device earlier this year. T-Mobile and Cell C probably have more in common as they both operate HSPA+ networks. According to media reports T-Mobile attracted heavy criticism from AT&T about their 4G claims earlier this year.

Neither standard used by the companies conform to the ITU’s definition of 4G.

The fact that international operators have marketed their networks as 4G is however not likely to have any influence on the ruling from the ASA.

More dubious 4G claims

Another nail in the coffin for Cell C is that the manual which comes in the box of the black Huawei E1820 and black Cell C SIM card says: “Mobile Broadband from Cell C is powered by new generation mobile broadband technology (GPRS/EDGE/3G/HSPA+) offering up to 4G speeds.”

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is clear about the main requirements for 4G:

Peak data rate of 100Mbps for high mobility applications such as mobile access
Approx. 1Gbps for low mobility applications such as nomadic/local wireless access
An all-IP based solution

With maximum speeds at their HSPA+ base stations of 21.1 Mbps, Cell C clearly does not provide speeds coming close to 4G, and this is likely to be a bone of contention in current or future ASA complaints.

What is particularly curious as that both the Cell C CEO Reichelt and the company’s CIO Reddick have said that no 4G networks or services are available yet – clearly indicating that the company is well aware that one cannot honestly claim to have a 4G network. Reddick explained that Cell C is ‘offering as close to 4G as is available now’.

It is perplexing as to why Cell C insists on using a contentious term like 4G in its marketing campaign when its product offering is so compelling that it is sure to make a splash in the market on its own merit.

A case in point is a recent eNews report on Cell C’s switch on of its 21 Mbps HSPA+ network in Port Elizabeth which focused heavily on the 4G ASA complaints against Cell C rather than the significance of the company’s network rollout or aggressive pricing.

Cell C was contacted for feedback about its 4G and 4Gs network claims, but the company did not respond to calls or emails.

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