MTN says the transition will be seamless and there will be no disruption to MTN or Cell C customers. No new sim cards will be required for Cell C’s customers.
“Cell C completed a comprehensive assessment of the wholesale offerings available in the market and based on MTN’s significant network investment in recent times, we concluded that MTN offered the best solution for our business going forward,” says Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos.
The agreement will see MTN providing both 3G and 4G services to Cell C in areas where Cell C has chosen to purchase coverage rather than self-build, mainly outside of the main metro areas.
“This deal will complement Cell C’s network offering and, with the introduction of roaming 4G services, our customers in those areas will benefit significantly,” says Dos Santos.
The arrangement includes a seamless handover for customers, meaning that where a user is on a call that happens to switch from a Cell C tower to a MTN tower, the call will not be dropped.
Cell C’s network service offering is at 99% 2G population coverage and 96% 3G population coverage. With the implementation of this deal, it announced, 4G population coverage will increase from 33% to 80%.
“We set out to create South Africa’s best network so that we could offer our customers the best experience,” said Godfrey Motsa, CEO of MTN SA. “MTN is committed to the continued roll-out of our network, across the country, to make sure all South African’s can reap the many benefits of mobile connectivity,” said Motsa.
“This deal will help fund our ongoing network expansion while also immediately offering more South Africans in peri-urban and rural parts of our country greater connectivity, as they roam off MTN’s existing network.”
Throughout the development of this deal, say MTN and Cell C, the two parties have maintained a strong focus on compliance, adhering to all necessary regulations and industry guidelines.
