The widest 3G network in South Africa battle
The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) has ruled that Vodacom may not claim to have the “widest 3G network” in South Africa. This followed a complaint by MTN.
A Vodacom print advertisement stated that “Get extra data on the widest 3G network … surf more, download more and stay connected 24/7”.
MTN lodged a complaint with the ASA against Vodacom’s “widest 3G network” statement, arguing that the claim is unsubstantiated and misleading.
MTN said that Vodacom may have the widest coverage in some regions, but it does not have the widest coverage across all regions.
MTN further said that coverage methodology needs to be considered when assessing such claims.
Vodacom responded, saying that it has a substantially wider network than MTN. This, the company said, is evident from the published coverage numbers by all networks, and the actual number of towers deployed by each network.
Vodacom showed that it deployed 6,649 3G towers, whereas MTN has 4,768 3G towers. “These published figures also support the published claims of 90.1% (Vodacom) and 67.7% (MTN) 3G coverage respectively,” Vodacom said.
The ASA was not convinced that a higher number of 3G towers automatically translates into wider coverage.
The ASA said that, for a claim of having the widest 3G network to be substantiated, Vodacom needs to show that:
- It is correct to include all sites that transmit at -100dBm in its “3G” calculations;
- It is true that Vodacom has more of these sites than any of its competitors; and
- That these sites are spread wider and more comprehensively across the country than any of its competitors.
“At best, the information shows that Vodacom has more sites transmitting at -100dBm than MTN, but this is as far as it goes,” the ASA said.
The ASA subsequently ruled that Vodacom’s “widest 3G network” is unsubstantiated, and should be withdrawn with immediate effect.
Who really has the widest 3G network?
Network coverage is dependent on many factors, including the number of 3G sites, the location of these sites and how coverage is measured.
Vodacom said that they measure coverage based on a signal level of -100dBm. It is not clear how other operators measure their coverage, but it may be time for the regulator ICASA to lay down rules in terms of coverage.
The location of mobile sites are typically illustrated by coverage maps, which are available from the operators. These maps are essentially a visual representation of the number of towers, the tower locations and the coverage measurement criteria.
Even if the other criteria are not available, the number of towers give a fair representation of the network coverage of an operator. The number of 3G sites per operator are as follows:
- Vodacom – 6,649
- MTN – 4,768
- Cell C – 3,842
- Telkom Mobile – 2,238
It is therefore safe to assume that Vodacom has the best 3G coverage in South Africa. However, without rigid rules on how coverage is measured, it will be challenging for any operator to conclusively prove that they have the best 3G coverage in SA.
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