Cell C is pleased to announce the commercial availability of its next generation broadband technology, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town from today. LTE Advanced is the next major step in the evolution of our LTE network that will deliver customers much faster data speeds and cater for a fast growing demand in data services and content delivery.
 
“Cell C has become the leading innovator in the South African mobile telecommunications industry.  We were the first and only provider to embrace over-the-top services, like Facebook and WhatsApp, by offering free access and true value to customers for services they love.  Cell C was the first and currently only operator to offer Wi-Fi Calling giving customers wider coverage and an affordable alternative to international roaming by making any Wi-Fi hotspot a mini Cell C base station.  Now we are the first operator in the country to bring LTE-A on such a large scale covering three of the largest metros in SA,” says Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos.
 
LTE-A not only brings faster services to our customers, but also better coverage and greater stability. Cell C’s LTE-A footprint overlaps its current LTE footprint, meaning Cell C customers that have LTE-A capable devices in LTE areas will experience the speed of LTE-A. The rollout of LTE-A in KwaZulu-Natal will commence in the coming months and will be completed in the third quarter of this year.
 
LTE-A is available on the following handsets, classified as Category 6 handsets and include the Samsung Note 5 (SM-920C), Samsung S6 EDGE (SM-G928C), Apple iPhone 6S, Apple iPhone 6S Plus, Huawei Mate 8_DS, Samsung S7 Flat (G930F), Samsung S7 Edge (G935F), LG G5 (H850) – all handsets include model numbers for clarity.
 
More handsets and stand-alone data devices will become available in due course. Customers using these devices will not see a different symbol (it will still show 4G or LTE depending on the device) on their handsets, however, they can expect to see data download speeds of up to 100Mbps. “Cell C is committed to becoming the broadband destination of choice for South African consumers and the commercial launch of our LTE-A network just reiterates that promise to our customers,” says Dos Santos. 
 
The LTE-A coverage will be available on Cell C’s website, www.cellc.co.za by 1 May 2016.