EXPANDING ACCESS
Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal plans to modernise 429 base station sites and expand long-term evolution capacity to 774 sites in the current financial year
Photo by: Bloomberg
Over R1-billion is set to be injected into telecommunications group Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal’s network this financial year to increase capacity and resilience, as well as accelerate access to connectivity throughout the province, particularly in deep rural areas.
About R700-million of this is allocated to radio-access network, network capacity and upgrades projects, while R173-million will be used to improve core network infrastructure.
Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal plans to modernise 429 base station sites and expand long-term evolution capacity to 774 sites in the current financial year.
“Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal’s fourth-generation population coverage is standing at 95.8%. We are rolling out 23 new urban sites and 129 deep rural sites across the region this financial year to expand this reach and drive digital inclusion, especially in underserved areas of the province,” says Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal managing executive Imran Khan.
Further, the company has about 200 fifth-generation sites, with plans to switch on another 122 this financial year.
“In pursuing our aim of creating an inclusive digital society, we are making a significant investment into the region’s network. By expanding access to reliable, quality connectivity through the deployment of more sites and network upgrades, we aim to provide an exceptional network experience to our customers.”
Increased investment in network services has resulted in a call drop rate of 0.34% and a call setup success rate of 99.4%, and has enabled the region to outperform rivals in providing the highest ‘overall reliability’ score and best service for voice calls in an audit by umlaut, part of Accenture.