5G expansion going strong in South Africa

Hanno Labuschagne

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5G expansion going strong in South Africa

South Africa's major telecoms companies radically expanded their mobile 5G connectivity and performance in 2024.

While the Covid-19 pandemic and load-shedding challenges limited 5G rollouts for the first few years of the technology's availability, the expansion has exploded in the past year.


 
Test result in JHB CBD
 

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I recently bought a 5G phone, can't even afford to do a feel good speed test.
 
The 5G coverage that Vodacom is reporting probably is a theoretical coverage or what the PR guys are telling the executives. According to Vodacom's coverage map for Sasolburg, we should having 5G, but that just is not the case. Different phones all never get a 5G signal here. Where I stay, I mostly barely get a 4G signal, and when I do get it, it's about 1 bar of signal strength.
1736069041547.png
This is what I am currently getting on my iPhone, barely 1 bar and it does not even recognise the Vodacom network.
1736069368969.png
 
The 5G coverage that Vodacom is reporting probably is a theoretical coverage or what the PR guys are telling the executives. According to Vodacom's coverage map for Sasolburg, we should having 5G, but that just is not the case. Different phones all never get a 5G signal here. Where I stay, I mostly barely get a 4G signal, and when I do get it, it's about 1 bar of signal strength.
View attachment 1785419
This is what I am currently getting on my iPhone, barely 1 bar and it does not even recognise the Vodacom network.
View attachment 1785421

What is your mobile signal when you disconnect from wifi?

I've found iPhones seems to throttle back on signal when connected to wifi and also connect via VoWiFi is it's supported by the carrier
 
What is your mobile signal when you disconnect from wifi?

I've found iPhones seems to throttle back on signal when connected to wifi and also connect via VoWiFi is it's supported by the carrier
Here is what I get when I disable the Wi-Fi. Two bars 3G signal strength. Wi-Fi calling is enabled on my iPhone, but I do not see VoWiFi on the phone, maybe I should contact Vodacom to find out if it's provisioned for me.
1736147484481.png
 
Here is what I get when I disable the Wi-Fi. Two bars 3G signal strength. Wi-Fi calling is enabled on my iPhone, but I do not see VoWiFi on the phone, maybe I should contact Vodacom to find out if it's provisioned for me.
View attachment 1785592
Have you compared your signal to someone else's Vodacom phone at same location? Something does not seem right. Granted I am in Joburg...but a place like Sasolburg you should be getting at least LTE. The last time I saw the 3G icon on my phone was last year driving through a small town in the Karoo. Can't remember which one it was...but even Carnarvon in Karoo have LTE and there is like 2000 people living there I think.

Unless this is just a particular bad dead spot in Sasolburg.

I suggest you log a ticket with customer care and check that you are provisioned for 5G and VoWiFi.
 
Have you compared your signal to someone else's Vodacom phone at same location? Something does not seem right. Granted I am in Joburg...but a place like Sasolburg you should be getting at least LTE. The last time I saw the 3G icon on my phone was last year driving through a small town in the Karoo. Can't remember which one it was...but even Carnarvon in Karoo have LTE and there is like 2000 people living there I think.

Unless this is just a particular bad dead spot in Sasolburg.

I suggest you log a ticket with customer care and check that you are provisioned for 5G and VoWiFi.
I am not too stressed about it at the moment, I make phone calls totaling less than 5 minutes per month and since being on pension I am mostly on Wi-Fi. Also, they are going to erect a Vodacom tower just over 300 meters (line of sight) from where our house is, at a nearby church's grounds very soon. We are indeed in a particular bad spot in Sasolburg, very recently my son wanted to call a client that sent him a WhatsApp enquiry, and he had zero signal at that time. He was using his iPhone 15. Having said that, I have only once seen 5G on my phone in Sasolburg, and that's the way for everyone I know here that's on Vodacom.
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