Vodacom has achieved 2.4 Gbps throughput on a live site, a first for South Africa. Trials were conducted using a commercial smartphone and Vodacom's Midrand campus's commercial base station. Compared to the average fiber-to-the-home connection, the record speed is approximately 100 times faster.
In the recent auction and assignment process conducted by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, Vodacom South Africa acquired 110 MHz of high-demand spectrum and paid R5.38 billion for a spectrum portfolio that includes 2 x 10 MHz in the 700 band MHz, 1 x 80 MHz in the 2600 MHz band and 1 x 10 MHz in the 3500 MHz band.
Vodacom can significantly increase its network performance and capacity by combining 5G technology and the appropriate spectrum. Ultra-high-speed will enable a number of 4IR use cases, while consumers will receive even better-quality services.
Vodacom has become widely recognized for being a “Network of Firsts,” including being the first network operator to launch 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G mobile services in South Africa, as well as being the first network operator to launch a commercial 5G service on the continent in Lesotho in 2018.
