Cell C’s empty broadband promises
A few months ago Cell C announced that it had signed a R2.9bn deal with the Chinese telecom equipment provider ZTE Corporation, something which Cell C CEO Lars P. Reichelt hailed as the operator’s “first big step towards transforming Cell C into a possibilities provider”.
This development came after Cell C’s announcement that it will be spending over R5bn on a 4G network in 2010. Cell C added that the second vendor for the remaining part of the nation-wide rollout would be announced shortly.
“Few would have predicted that Cell C would ever lead the industry as far as network infrastructure is concerned but it is a fact that Cell C will be the first South African operator to roll out HSPA+ technologies incorporating download speeds of up to 21Mbit/s – three times faster than anything currently available,” said Reichelt at the time.
“An important factor in the decision to appoint ZTE is its ability to offer 4G services using Cell C’s 900MHz frequency band which offers wider and deeper coverage than existing 2100 MHz networks,” said Cell C. ”We can assure South Africans that world-class, effective and affordable wireless connectivity is on its way.”
This all sounds great, but when Cell C was asked in February for details about their mobile broadband plans the silence was deafening. When the company was pushed for comment, they refused to say anything other than “Cell C will be making more details known about its new 4G network at the end of the first quarter of 2010.”
We are now well into the second quarter of 2010, and Cell C was again asked if they could provide more details about their HSPA+ plans. The company however remains reluctant to discuss their roll out plans for HSPA+ technologies.
Consumers and industry players alike are keen to hear more about Cell C’s apparent 4G network rollout. Questions like how the company will overcome challenges like transmission capacity and where this network will initially be available are key areas of interest but if the stony muteness emanating from Cell C is anything to go by they will have to wait a bit longer for answers.
Cell C has reneged on its promise to provide more feedback, and attempts to get information from the cellular provider proved fruitless.
It is not clear whether Cell C is trying to keep its cards close to its chest, or whether the fledgling mobile operator is discovering the various challenges of rolling out a high speed mobile broadband network in South Africa.
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