Third operator Cell C has completed its "intensive" radio access network (RAN) upgrade project in Gauteng.
The operator says the RAN upgrade is a complete modernisation of equipment aimed at the harmonisation of all technologies across the network. The project entailed the replacement of out-dated network equipment on 1 215 base stations in Gauteng.
Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos says the company's network operations team has been working "around the clock" over the last year. "This project has been completed in record time, [with] exceptional results.
In conjunction with the RAN upgrade project, says Cell C, significant improvements have been made to the management of the network from a site dependency and network redundancy point of view. It says these have enhanced the overall stability of the network, effectively eliminating cluster outages as a result of single point failures.
Dos Santos says feedback from customers has been encouraging. "They have noted great improvement in the quality of the Gauteng network as a result of the RAN swap and stability projects." He says the company will focus on the areas that still need attention.
LTE strategy
Cell C is set to introduce similar projects in other metro regions, it says, "to continue to drive stability, quality and modernisation into the network across the country".
The company has also channelled part of its 2014 capital investment of R2.3 billion into the rollout of new towers to increase capacity and coverage across the country.
This year, Cell C has rolled out 442 towers across the country, with 256 of those in Gauteng. The company has an additional 158 sites currently in the site build process for Gauteng, which are expected to be online in early 2015.
The company says the modernisation of its network and additional sites creates the required framework for its long-term evolution (LTE) strategy.
"We have also invested significantly in fibre deployment across the country and connecting fibre to each of our base stations is one of the company's top priorities in 2015 in line with our LTE strategy," says Dos Santos.
The company will continue to upgrade and increase capacity on its 3G sites to improve customers' data experience, he adds.
Share