Vodacom has unpacked some of its plans for the coming year as regards connectivity in the Western Cape.

To that end the telecommunications company aims to spend over R500 million in the province over the rest of 2022 to address coverage reach, increase capacity and improve network uptime.

“We believe investing in our network ensures that we deliver best-in-class coverage and customer service, not only to urban areas, but to people who dwell in township and deep rural areas as well, so they are well positioned to take advantage of the benefits of the Digital Revolution,” noted Carol Hall, managing executive for Vodacom Western Cape, in a press release sent to Hypertext.

“This is why we are investing more money on the network to deploy more sites in urban, townships and in remote areas which did not previously have network access and continue to to deliver exceptional customer experiences for all our customers,” she adds. 

In terms of what connectivity the network carrier will focus on, Hall notes that 4G is the priority for this recently announced investment, with a reported 90 percent of traffic in the region being on that mobile broadband standard.

The current investment will see a further nine sites added in deep rural areas, although which specific areas has not been detailed. To date, 450 base stations provide coverage to rural areas, with 247 connecting townships in the province, Vodacom adds.

As for 5G, it too will be part of the company’s focus for the remainder of the year.

“At present, the telco has 49 5G base stations across the region, with plans to triple this footprint across the region this year. For businesses, in particular, 5G has the potential to unlock data-driven productivity that will fuel our economy,” the carrier continues.

Lastly Hall highlights the investments that Vodacom will be making to tackle ongoing power interruptions as a result of loadshedding, as well as issues arising from vandalism.

“Vandalism and theft of batteries and cables at our base stations compounds the problem of service disruption. Unfortunately, already 138 of our sites have been vandalised since January this year, with damages totalling just under R7 million,” explained Hall.

In order to address this, Vodacom has relocated some of its mobile generators to its outer lying service areas to fast-track restoration in the event of power failures due to loadshedding or vandalism.

“Our purpose is to shape an inclusive digital society that leaves no one behind, especially in our increasingly digitised post-COVID landscape. Extensive coverage is one way to ensure everyone can be connected but, more than that, Vodacom strives to deliver quality coverage to enable an equitable network experience whether our customers are in rural or urban areas,” concluded Hall.