Vodacom will spend R600 million in the current fiscal year on a network upgrade in Mpumalanga province.
The mobile operator announced the planned investment yesterday, saying from this capital expenditure, R334 million will go to network upgrades and the deployment of new base station sites, with R256 million allocated for microwave and fibre transmission projects.
Vodacom is seeking to accelerate coverage reach and network capacity, and provide access to quality connectivity. This, the telco says, will help it meet the increasing demand for internet services, while driving digital inclusion throughout the region.
“In the past two years, Vodacom Mpumalanga has spent R1 billion on network upgrades and solutions to support our transition from telecommunications operator to leading technology provider,” says Zakhele Jiyane, managing executive, Vodacom Mpumalanga.
“Through this investment, we have been able to deploy more sites, upgrade our current base stations and expand connectivity through the rollout of next-generation technology and fibre, particularly to deep rural areas of the province, whose residents have not had access to transformative online services.”
The Mpumalanga expenditure is the latest in a series of regional investments Vodacom has made in recent weeks.
Last week, Vodacom revealed it spent over R1 billion in KwaZulu-Natal to accelerate connectivity throughout the province, particularly in deep rural areas and townships. Earlier this month, the telco announced it will this year triple its 5G footprint in the Western Cape and sink R500 million into network upgrades in the province.
In Mpumalanga, Vodacom says it wants to continue to grow reasonably-priced internet access in the region and plans to double 5G coverage by the end of the 2023 financial year.
Jiyane explains: “We have seen a 37% increase in data traffic in the region year-on-year, with 67% of all Vodacom devices in Mpumalanga able to perform data services. It is clear we are a data-centric network, with over 85% of this data traffic generated on LTE.
“It is therefore imperative that we invest in network capacity and coverage to continue to deliver our exceptional network experience and expand the reach of our services to customers seeking high-quality connectivity.
“The new spectrum has allowed us to add much-needed capacity and expand next-generation technology in the region. In addition, the newly-acquired 10MHz in the 700MHz band is helping us to address rural coverage and indoor penetration challenges, improving the network experience in areas of KwaMhlanga, Wakkerstroom, Dullstroom and Mbombela, for example. We have earmarked R85 million this year to ensure other communities are able to reap the same benefits.”
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