The fine folks who use FNB’s FNB Connect cellular service are getting their coverage expanded thanks to a new agreement between MTN and Cell C, now Telkom Mobile customers will see a similar change headed their way. Vodacom and Telkom have just signed a new LTE roaming agreement that will allow Telkom users to roam on Vodacom’s 2G, 3G, and 4G networks, without any restrictions.

Vodacom announced the deal, saying, “Shareholders are advised that Vodacom South Africa and Telkom have concluded a long-term, multi-billion-rand agreement whereby Telkom will obtain roaming and facilities leasing services from Vodacom.” The terms of the deal includes so-called seamless handover, which will result in users transitioning from Telkom- to Vodacom-controlled network infrastructure without signal being lost — a must for anyone looking to stay on a call or keep their data connection active without interruption.

What this means for Telkom users is that they’ll have the same network and LTE coverage as any of Vodacom’s users — without having to pay Vodacom’s data prices. This could lead to users jumping ship from other networks, including Vodacom’s own.

But there will be a bit of a wait, as full access to Voda’s infrastructure will kick in from June 2019. Which isn’t that long to wait at all, especially since the changeover will begin from 1 December this year. Full access for Telkom Mobile users will become available when the company’s roaming deal with MTN expires in — you guessed it — June next year. Telkom said “Telkom will conduct a phased transition from the current roaming agreement, which will be concluded by the end of the contract period.”

Source: via MyBroadband