Cell C today unveiled its 4Gs network in Bloemfontein, the second of 10 South African cities expected to get connected to the high-speed HSPA+ network.
Port Elizabeth was the first city to receive access to the network, which was unveiled at the beginning of the month. The operator noted at the time that it would roll out the network in two more cities before the end of the month.
Cell C says it plans to cover 90% of the population of Bloemfontein by end of 2010. The operator has also committed to 34% coverage of the entire South African population by the end of the year and 67% population coverage by mid-2011.
Like Port Elizabeth, network trials in Bloemfontein have yielded average speeds of between 5Mbps and 6Mbps, with regular peaks of over 10Mbps, explains Cell C.
Cell C CEO Lars Reichelt has previously stated that the network is neither 4G, nor LTE, but is an improvement on 3G. He explained that the concept of 4G has not yet been defined by the global industry, but Cell C's network is based on software - defined radio technology - which could be adapted for LTE or “anything else” in the future.
He added that the new network would be based on HSPA+ technology and would operate in the 900MHz and 2 100MHz frequency bands.
The mobile operator is offering two packages: a modem capable of speeds of up to 7.2Mbps and 2GB of data every month, for a period of 12 months, for R1 499; and a modem capable of speeds of up to 21.6Mbps and 5GB of data every month, for a period of 12 months, for R2 999.
The out of bundle rate is 39c per MB.
Connecting schools
With the city-to-city network rollout, Cell C has committed to identify certain schools that would receive full Internet connectivity.
In Port Elizabeth, Reichelt announced that Ethembeni Enrichment Centre would be the first to receive the offering.
Today, the operator announced that Sehunelo High School was selected as the next school to receive access to the network.
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