Cell C has renegotiated its roaming agreement with rival Vodacom to include access to Vodacom’s 3G services. This should mean better data coverage for Cell C customers, even in outlying areas, given Vodacom’s extensive network.
At its recent results presentation Cell C also talked up its own substantial investments in its network infrastructure and says its deal with Vodacom will help improve its customers’ experiences.
“With over R4 billion in investments over the 2014 and 2015 financial years for increased coverage and capacity, we felt that our next step was to bolster those areas where we have limited coverage and this agreement helps us do that,” says Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos.
He adds that the agreement with Vodacom won’t affect Cell C’s planned investment in its LTE network, which it is currently rolling out across South Africa. Cell C is the only local network operator that has yet to launch commercial LTE services. “Our three-year, R8 billion agreement with Huawei and ZTE will continue apace as we prepare to launch a commercial LTE service later in the year,” Dos Santos says.
The new agreement came into effect on 1 June and Cell C says the switch-on is expected to be completed within the next few weeks. Interested customers can check timelines and areas where 3G roaming will be switched on on Cell C’s website later this week.