Vodacom playing with fire
Vodacom has unveiled its latest Summer Days outdoor advertising campaign, where it claims to have SA’s Best Network.
Vodacom’s best network in SA claim may be justified, but something else on the billboard stands out – 4G.
Vodacom proudly describes its LTE network as 4G (which is technically incorrect), despite the fact it fiercely attacked Cell C for not accurately using the term 4G.
To add fuel to the fire, Vodacom placed a massive billboard opposite Cell C’s head office in Midrand, describing its network as 4G.
The photo below shows the Vodacom billboard and Cell C’s head office (building on right) along the N1 freeway.
Vodacom 4G billboard close to Cell C office
What is 4G, and why is it an issue in South Africa?
In 2010, Vodacom and MTN attacked Cell C for describing its new 21Mbps HSPA+ network as 4G, and lodged complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa.
At the time, Cell C marketed its mobile broadband network and services as “4Gs”, which the company explained stood for “4 Great Service” and “4 Great Speed”.
Vodacom and MTN argued that Cell C was misleading consumers with its claims of having built a 4G network.
Vodacom used the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) definition of 4G to substantiate its argument.
Cell C argued that many operators and other companies described their HSPA+ and LTE networks as 4G.
It said that using the term 4G would help consumers understand it was offering faster broadband services.
Even the ITU recognised that the term 4G is often used by companies to describe technologies like LTE, WiMax, and HSPA+.
Vodacom dismissed this justification, saying that Cell C must abide by the ITU’s definition of 4G – which excludes HSPA+ and LTE.
Vodacom now doing the same
Fast forward five years, and Vodacom is now flouting the ITU’s definition by calling its LTE network 4G in its marketing campaigns.
While Vodacom has been using the term 4G in its press statements and interviews for a while, this is the first time it has used it in its marketing material.
The photos below show the 4G logo, with a description of Vodacom’s 2G, 3G, and LTE network.
Vodacom billboard
Vodacom 4G claim
Vodacom explains
Vodacom said that while LTE is not technically 4G, it has become an industry norm to refer to all versions of LTE as 4G.
“This is especially driven by the various manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung that label their LTE-capable devices as 4G,” said Vodacom.
“The use of LTE therefore creates a discordance for subscribers who are primarily exposed to these 4G messages.”
Vodacom said it recently started to deploy “proper” 4G – LTE-A using carrier aggregation – in its production network.
“These sites satisfy both the technical and common use of the term 4G.”
More on 4G
Cell C faces off with Vodacom, MTN over 4G network claims
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