Cell C says it will invest R8 billion in its LTE network over the next three years, aiming to deliver high-speed broadband to its customers across South Africa.<\/p>\n
The operator made the announcement on 9 April 2015, stating its “LTE strategy” will focus on metropolitan areas where people work and live.<\/p>\n
“The primary commuting areas that fall outside the major metros will remain covered by HSPA+,\u201d said Cell C CEO, Jose Dos Santos.<\/p>\n
Cell C has signed supply agreements with\u00a0both Huawei and ZTE, which will drive the\u00a0rollout of the planned 4,000 LTE sites.<\/p>\n
The first areas to receive the expanded LTE network will be\u00a0Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape.<\/p>\n
\u201cGated communities and high-density residential areas where there is a great demand for high speed data will be one of our priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The operator plans to start upgrading areas in\u00a0Rosebank and Sandton, and then move onto\u00a0the northern Johannesburg areas.<\/p>\n
This will be followed by the northern Gauteng areas, including Pretoria and Centurion, and then Benoni, Boksburg, Johannesburg proper, Soweto, Lenasia, and Roodepoort.<\/p>\n
In KZN,\u00a0Hillcrest through to the Dolphin Coast, Umhlanga,\u00a0Chatsworth,\u00a0Durban South,\u00a0Pietermaritzburg, and Umlazi will benefit from the LTE rollout.<\/p>\n
Areas in the Western Cape which will be targeted include\u00a0SeaPoint to Durbanville, the airport, Stellenbosch,\u00a0Simon\u2019s Town through Constantia, Brakenfell, Somerset West, Mitchells Plain, and Paarl.<\/p>\n
LTE for\u00a0Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and other provinces is also planned, said Dos Santos.<\/p>\n
In addition to this,\u00a01,353 3G sites will be built\u00a0across the country over the next few years to ensure “Cell C stays above the curve”, the company said.<\/p>\n
“Cell C plans to launch a commercial offering in the latter part of 2015 and will reveal its LTE suite of products and services in due course,” the company concluded.<\/p>\n
Vodacom, Cell C probed over price hikes<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n