Cell C going 3G?
Cell C is the process of reviewing its mobile data strategy, with an announcement expected by year end, its chief executive said on Friday.
"We’re in process of reviewing our mobile data strategy. I can’t say much right now but we’ll make an announcement about next generation data products by year end," CEO Jeffery Hedberg told I-Net Bridge in a phone interview.
Cell C currently serves its mobile data customers by its GPRS/EDGE network, which promises speed of up to 244kb/s. "We’re very pleased with our GPRS and EDGE network at the moment," said Hedberg.
Cell is the only local operator that does not use 3G network.
Dubbed the poor cousin to local operators MTN Group and Vodacom, Cell C failed to turn profit for seven years since its inception in 2001, only cracking open the champagne in the 2007 financial year.
For the six months to June, total revenue has increased by R590m, a rise of 17%. Cell C has also recorded a strong improvement in operating profit of 36%, as compared to half year results of 2007 and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of R517m was achieved.
Cell C’s active subscribers surged by 58% since June 2007 to 5.4m, largely due to the highly popular products such as Woza Weekend and the Hola 7 starter pack, resulting in a substantial increase in the volume of traffic on Cell C’s EDGE-enabled network.
"Our new core network has enabled us to effectively manage this increase in our customer base," said Hedberg.
"Had we not migrated to the new core network technology, we would have had to build a network three times its current size," he added.
The focus for the remainder of the 2008 financial year would be on refining our processes and systems and ensuring an improved experience for its customers.
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