Vodacom announced today that it has extended its 4G coverage along most Gautrain routes to include 4G+ in the underground tunnels, a first in South Africa.
The move will ensure that Vodacom customers can continue to make calls, check e-mails, send messages and surf the internet when they travel on the Gautrain.
This means that 4G and 4G+ coverage is immediately available on route to Gautrain’s Rosebank, Sandton, Marlboro and Midrand stations with speeds of in excess of 100Mb/s achieved in deep underground environments. The next phase of the project will be to enhance coverage along the track between Marlboro and OR Tambo International Airport as well as between Marlboro and Pretoria to ensure a seamless and uninterrupted experience on all Gautrain routes.
“This initiative is part of our concerted drive to give our customers a differentiated service and seamless connection everywhere in South Africa. The basis of our competitive advantage lies in the superiority of our network, which we have achieved through continued investment in our network infrastructure. In the past two years alone, we spent R17 billion so that we continue to provide great value to our customers,” said Andries Delport, Vodacom Group Chief Technology Officer.
Earlier this year, Vodacom enabled its high speed 4G+ service at Gautrain Station platforms in Sandton, Rosebank and Park Station in addition to the 2G, 3G and 4G coverage first deployed at these stations in 2015.
To provide underground coverage at these stations, Vodacom used distributed antenna systems located throughout the three stations. Each of these systems is connected via fibre-optic cable to network equipment located in Rosebank.
“Greater access to spectrum will enable Vodacom to undertake more initiatives of this nature while also extending broadband coverage to the remotest parts of our country. South Africans want faster speeds, wider coverage and lower prices which is why it is so important to secure access to additional spectrum in South Africa,” Delport says.