Network speed doubled in South African first from Vodacom

SuperMobile is here.  Double-speed HSPA+ technology utilising dual carrier is a commercial reality in South Africa as Vodacom today opened its 43.2 Mbps network for business.  Vodacom has enabled more than 1000 base stations with the new technology, meaning that major metropolitan areas across South Africa are covered from the outset.

Speaking about this new technology, CEO Pieter Uys said:

"If something half the speed was already fast, this we should call this new technology superfast.  Having said that, the SuperMobile experience isn't about theoretical peak speeds only achievable in laboratories.  We're much more interested in how this technology increases network capacity and supports our goal of giving a decent connection speed to everyone in South Africa. 

We've actually had the technology up and running for some time but we wanted to have a critical mass of at least 1000 base stations before flipping the switch to allow consumers access at up to double the speed.  We wanted to make sure that we had the service available in more than just one city."

Compatible modems are on sale from today at Vodacom Shops for under R1400 and free on certain data contracts.  Everything else remains the same - there's no additional cost and normal data bundles can be used to access the service. 

Vodacom will continue to roll the technology out rapidly, with the number of enabled base stations expected to double in the coming months.  This investment also clears the path for a future upgrade to 86.4 Mbps. 

Summing up, Pieter Uys said:

"We've already got the widest data coverage in South Africa by some margin, but with this technology available through so many sites, I think we can also stake our claim to have the fastest network as well.  We promised when we launched the new red Vodacom that the changes ran much deeper than switching colours and this is just a taste of the things to come.  Red means better network, better customer experience, better value.  Red is Mofaya!"