No official 3G date from Vodacom

Johannesburg, 10 Nov 2004

Cellular operator Vodacom insists it will have a third-generation (3G) network operational before the end of the year, despite hedging its bets and refusing to name the date it will begin commercial roll-out.

The company was due to announce the date its 3G network would be switched on during last night`s Vodacom First Tuesday event, with guest speaker Tomi Ahonen, a 3G expert.

However, the operator instead chose to confirm only that the network would be available before the end of 2004.

"In order to maintain our competitive advantage, we are not going to announce an exact date, but I can say that by mid-December, anyone who has a 3G phone will be able to use it," says Vodacom`s director for sales products and services, Chris Ross.

"However, thanks to our new partnership with Vodafone, we will be bringing in products like the Vodafone mobile connect card, which supports 2G and 3G, and the BlackBerry 7100v wireless communication solution."

Ross claims Vodacom has been working hard to get everything ready for its 3G launch, with the company installing as many base stations in the past two months as it did in its first year of operations, back in 1994.

While rival MTN does not believe it is possible to roll-out a 3G operation before year-end, Mauritian operator Emtel is also preparing to launch a 3G network by the end of this year. The title of 'first African 3G operator` will go to whichever network begins commercial operations earliest.

"What we can say is that this festive season, consumers can hopefully look forward to finding a range of 3G products and services in their Christmas stockings," says Ross.