Cell C’s first sites with Long Term Evolution (LTE) capabilities have gone live, a spokesperson for the network confirmed today (27 November 2012).
This comes after Cell C CEO, Alan Knott-Craig, previously told MyBroadband that they plan to launch LTE services in Cape Town and Durban by the end of 2012, with the aim of extending their coverage to Johannesburg and Pretoria early in 2013.
Knott-Craig said that they wouldn’t launch a commercial network until government finalises its position on a national wholesale LTE network, and would operate on a trial basis until then.
“We will approach our ‘heavy’ data users in those areas to participate in the trial,” Knott-Craig said.
“We will provide them with a device,” he added.
Cell C said that its first two LTE sites went live on Thursday (22 November 2012) and are currently being optimised.
Once that’s done, Cell C said that their heaviest data users that are within the coverage of the sites will be identified and invited to the trial.
More sites will be added in the coming weeks and months in the four areas Cell C is targeting, the network said.
When previously asked whether they are targeting a certain number of base stations for the launch, Knott-Craig said only that they want as many as possible up-and-running by year-end.
“It is expected to be only a limited number,” Knott-Craig said.
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