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\u00a0April 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
In February,\u00a0Cell C said that\u00a0R2.2 billion has been budgeted for continued investment into the operator in the 2015 financial year, of which LTE forms a key focus.<\/p>\n
Cell C has signed supply agreements with both Huawei and ZTE, which will drive the rollout of the planned 4,000 LTE sites.<\/p>\n
The first areas to receive the expanded LTE network will be Gauteng, 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 Rosebank and Sandton, and then move onto the 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, Hillcrest through to the Dolphin Coast, Umhlanga, Chatsworth, Durban South, Pietermaritzburg, and Umlazi will benefit from the LTE rollout.<\/p>\n
Areas in the Western Cape which will be targeted include SeaPoint to Durbanville, the airport, Stellenbosch, Simon\u2019s Town through Constantia, Brakenfell, Somerset West, Mitchells Plain, and Paarl.<\/p>\n
LTE for Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and other provinces is also planned, said Dos Santos.<\/p>\n
In addition to this, 1,353 3G sites will be built across 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
In March,\u00a0Cell C\u2019s largest shareholder Oger Telecom said it is looking at selling its stake in the\u00a0operator.<\/p>\n
Oger Telecom chairman Mohammed Hariri told Reuters they appointed Goldman Sachs to help with the process of selling its Cell C shareholding.<\/p>\n
Reuters quoted Hariri as saying that \u201cif we get a good price, we will sell\u201d. He added they have been approached by several interested parties, but a decision\u00a0is yet to be made.<\/p>\n
Hariri said the decision to sell the stake in Cell C was triggered by the Independent Communications Authority of SA\u2019s (Icasa\u2019s) revised termination rates.<\/p>\n
Cell C experiencing network issues<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n