Cell C mobile broadband: It is only the start
Over the last two months Cell C has launched its 21 Mbps HSPA+ network in Port Elizabeth, East London, Bloemfontein, George, Cape Town, Durban and Pietermaritzburg – bringing subscribers affordable, fast prepaid mobile broadband services.
Cell C currently has over 2 000 HSPA+ transmitters on-air which are being tested and optimized, with more towers going live all the time.
To ensure that they have adequate transmission capacity Cell C is laying fibre to all sites where it is feasible, and is using microwave backhaul where fibre if not available. To date the company has installed over 1 500km of dedicated fibre links.
Aggressive targets
Cell C is continuing its country wide 21 Mbps rollout and it set to launch their HSPA+ network in Johannesburg and Pretoria in mid-November. However, this will not be where it stops.
At the 2010 MyBroadband Conference held at Vodaworld Cell C CEO Lars Reichelt said that they are on track to cover 34% of the South African population by the end of 2010.
Cell C’s competitors may also take note that Cell C is planning to have country-wide HSPA+ coverage (what Cell C calls speed cover) of 67% by mid-2011 and an impressive 97% by the end of 2011.
Competition
If these targets are met Cell C will have the most extensive high speed mobile data network in the country, and with their affordable prepaid data prices Vodacom and MTN are sure to take note.
Vodacom CEO Pieter Uys revealed at the same event that Vodacom currently has 1 200 towers capable of 21 Mbps HSPA+ transmissions while MTN CTO Sameer Dave said that they have around 12% HSPA+ population coverage.
Telkom is also starting to make waves with its newly launched 8ta mobile operator, and while the company is currently only offering 7.2 Mbps services, its base stations are 21 Mbps capable and it can therefore be upgraded when needed.
With both Cell C and 8ta planning to launch new postpaid data services in future local consumers may be in a treat in terms of mobile services and mobile data pricing.
Cell C mobile broadband: It is only the start << Comments and views
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