Vodacom’s investment of more than R1 billion over two years is part of the company’s long-term vision to have the widest and most reliable network accessible to all South Africans, irrespective of where they live.
In a recent survey by MyBroadband Insights, MTN was voted the best network with a quality score of 9,87. Vodacom was the second best network with quality score of 8,85. Clearly the race is on!
The bulk of the expenditure will go towards modernising network infrastructure, followed by deploying new network sites, rolling out the 5G network and launching new LTE coverage, using the allotted spectrum from ICASA. This rollout will enable better connectivity and improved network speeds for the end user.
The region plans to focus this investment on the three bays of the Eastern Cape footprint. Bridging the digital divide between urban and rural areas of the province, this includes Lower Bay (Gqeberha to Makhanda and the Port Alfred area), Central Bay (sites along the N10 and surroundings) and Upper Bay (Qonce and Monti up to the Kei Mouth area).
Zakhele Jiyane, managing executive for Vodacom in the Eastern Cape region, says: “Our approach is to first build on our infrastructure to ensure that we can unlock the many opportunities afforded by the latest technology, such as 5G, and deliver a quality network experience for all our customers. In some areas of the province, this investment will bring connectivity to communities for the first time, driving our ambition of empowering people in an inclusive digital society. One of the big focus areas for the region this financial year is to deploy more sites in deep rural areas of the Eastern Cape. Many individuals in South Africa’s remote, deep rural areas lack internet access, which prevents them from taking advantage of the socio-economic advantages of connectivity. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the effects of the digital divide to light in dramatic ways as people without broadband were unable to work from home, attend classes or receive healthcare services. Deployment of the new base station sites in deep rural areas of the province will close the digital divide and enable hundreds of thousands of people in these villages to be part of the digital economy and reap associated socio-economic benefits”.
Security remains a major concern
To mitigate the risks of increasing theft and vandalism at sites, as well as power disruptions on the national grid, Vodacom Eastern Cape is channelling millions of rands into security upgrades and more will be invested in enhancing backup power supply at base station towers. These efforts will ensure network availability to keep customers connected.
Acknowledging that the cost to communicate is a critical issue for customers under economic pressure, Vodacom Eastern Cape introduced personalised discounted voice and data offers, such as Just4You and Just4YourTown bundles, for residents in certain towns of the region to make connectivity more affordable.
In its purpose-led goal to build inclusion for all, Vodacom continues to support educational initiatives that foster young people’s potential and contribute to socio-economic development in the Eastern Cape. To encourage youth participation in the digital economy, Vodacom rolled out Connected Farmer, a platform to empower small-scale agricultural producers, at 100 schools in the province, providing free connectivity at the Love Life youth leadership centre in Uitenhage. The region also hosted the Code Like a Girl boot camp, which breaks down gender stereotypes and nurtures female talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at schools in Gqeberha, Mdantsane, Komani and Libode for 150 girls.
