{"id":632062,"date":"2026-03-08T11:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T09:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=632062"},"modified":"2026-03-08T11:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T09:08:11","slug":"vodacom-hits-a-milestone-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/5g\/632062-vodacom-hits-a-milestone-in-south-africa.html","title":{"rendered":"Vodacom hits a milestone in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South Africa’s largest cellular network provider, Vodacom, has expanded its 5G mobile network to more than 60% of the country’s population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vodacom spokesperson Byron Kennedy revealed the milestone in recent feedback to MyBroadband about progress in rolling out the latest generation of cellular connectivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy explained that Vodacom had observed growing demand for superior connectivity services and seen strong 5G adoption in the last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“5G-capable devices have more than doubled on our network over the last twelve months,” he said. Vodacom’s coverage is supported by more than 4,000 5G sites across South Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vodacom was the first cellular network in South Africa to roll out commercial mobile 5G services. It launched its first towers that support the technology in May 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of 2023, Vodacom had covered 30% of South Africa’s population with 5G. That coverage has doubled in just two years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerning the operator’s strategy for 2026, Kennedy said that Vodacom was pursuing ubiquitous coverage and would continue expanding 4G and 5G coverage, especially in remote communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They aim to enable all Vodacom customers to benefit from these services, driving the company’s goal of building an inclusive digital society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only two other operators offer mobile 5G connectivity in South Africa \u2014 MTN and Telkom. MTN launched its 5G network about a month after Vodacom and initially expanded its coverage faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In more recent years, the two operators’ coverage levels have been similar. MyBroadband Insights’ tests of 5G networks in South Africa have also frequently found Vodacom’s to be the fastest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, in June 2025, Vodacom’s 5G network recorded an average download speed of 260Mbps, compared with MTN’s 195Mbps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has continued to invest in cutting-edge 5G tech to improve on this performance. In August 2025, it was the first in Africa to deploy Dual-Band Massive Multiple Input, Multiple Output radio on its network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technology integrates two spectrum bands \u2014 n78 (3.5GHz) and B41 (2.6GHz) \u2014 into a single compact unit, improving 5G download speeds and bandwidth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MTN and Telkom’s progress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Technician working on a Vodacom tower.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

MyBroadband also asked MTN and Telkom about their mobile 5G network growth. MTN did not provide feedback by the time of publication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its most recent public update, MTN said it had 4,000 5G sites in South Africa and was targeting 60% 5G population coverage in the country by the end of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Telkom explained its 5G rollout was <\/em>deliberately demand-led rather than pursuing broad, headline-driven coverage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our priority has been to ensure that where 5G is deployed, it delivers a high-quality, consistent and reliable experience for customers and enterprise users alike,” Telkom said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This approach enables us to align investment with real usage patterns, device readiness and commercial sustainability, ensuring that our network evolution is both responsible and future-focused.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2026, Telkom’s network strategy will reflect a balanced commitment to both next-generation capability and inclusive connectivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We will continue to enhance 5G in high-demand areas where it meaningfully improves customer experience and supports advanced use cases,”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We remain equally focused on addressing connectivity gaps, particularly in underserved and rural communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Telkom said in many instances, this will mean prioritising the most appropriate technology to deliver reliable broadband access first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“South Africa benefits from a strong 4G foundation that continues to serve the majority of consumer needs effectively,” it said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vodacom’s mobile 5G network is now available in well over half the country’s populated areas. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":341042,"featured_media":628258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62528],"tags":[57360,35591,81414,109,41,64474],"class_list":["post-632062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5g","tag-5g-networks","tag-byron-kennedy","tag-mobile-5g","tag-telkom","tag-vodacom","tag-vodacom-5g"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632062"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/341042"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632062"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":632169,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632062\/revisions\/632169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}