03 September 2024

Cell C has started testing 5G with Vodacom and MTN, according to chief technology officer Schalk Visser, in a move expected to help improve the quality of its services and strengthen its competitiveness in the domestic market.

The move is part of Cell C’s efforts to establish itself among South African telecom subscribers and follows a recent rebranding. In June 2023, it completed its migration to a virtual access network provided by MTN, abandoning its own network infrastructure. It also plans to launch VoLTE (voice over LTE) service.

The commercial deployment of 5G will notably enable Cell C to offer faster speeds with reduced latency. This will strengthen its ability to meet the expectations of its current subscribers while attracting new customers. Faced with already well-established competition in ultra-high-speed services, this technological advancement represents a major strategic asset for the company.