Cell C, South Africa’s fourth-biggest mobile operator, says its “Now on SA’s Best Network” advertising campaign was developed to mark a milestone in its transformation.
The mobile network operator issued a statement in response to the recent ruling by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) that the advert can be misleading.
This, after Cell C’s competitor MTN approached the advertising watchdog to complain about the advertisement which appears on different media platforms.
Cell C is not a member of the ARB and is not subject to the ARB code or the jurisdiction of the watchdog’s advertising code.
MTN’s argument was that Cell C’s network coverage is largely dependent on its partnership with other mobile networks in the country (of which MTN is only one).
Cell C does not own a mobile network but roams on the networks of Vodacom and MTN.
In its ruling, the ARB concluded by requesting its members not to accept any advertising promoting the “Now on SA’s Best Network” claim by Cell C.
Responding to the ruling, Cell C says: “Cell C has reaffirmed its commitment to providing customers with access to South Africa’s leading networks, following the Advertising Regulatory Board’s recent ruling. At the same time, the company celebrates a significant industry accolade: being ranked number one in South Africa for Best Video Experience on 4G in the Opensignal Mobile Network Experience Report.”
It adds that the independent recognition by Opensignal validates the progress made through Cell C’s transformation.
“We are immensely proud and grateful for being recognised by an independent global authority such as Opensignal. It affirms the strategic decisions we have made to reshape our network model,” says Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes.
“We are especially grateful for the strong network partnerships that have enabled us to provide customers with access to South Africa’s best and most reliable networks, respectively. Over the past two years, we have significantly improved the customer experience through renegotiating agreements with our network partners, and this recognition shows that our efforts are making a real difference.”
The mobile operator notes it has transitioned to a virtualised radio access network model, enabled by the multi-operator core network strategy.
It explains that this model allows Cell C to provide its customers with access to more than 28 000 towers, combining the infrastructure of two top-tier partner networks, “one widely regarded as South Africa’s best network with approximately 14 000 towers and the other known as the most reliable network with approximately 14 000 towers”.
“The shift towards a virtualised network has allowed us to move faster, innovate smarter and focus on what truly matters: giving customers access to the best and most reliable networks in South Africa,” says Cell C CTO Schalk Visser.
“It’s not about who owns the towers, it’s about how well the network performs in the moments that matter to our users.”
According to the company, over the past two years, it has closed the quality gap by renegotiating roaming agreements that ensure full parity of service with partner networks.
It points out that this means Cell C customers now enjoy the same quality of experience, including expanded coverage, consistent speeds, reliability and improved performance as those on the top networks themselves.
With 5G availability planned for later this year, the company believes the experience is set to improve further.
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