Giant leap for phonekind

Johannesburg - Cell C, long the poor relation of the South African cellphone industry, has taken a giant leap forward with the launch of its so-called 4G network, beating its bigger rivals to the punch. For the first time, it can claim to be a technological leader.

However, competitors have complained (to the Advertising Standards Authority and anyone else who would listen) that it's misleading to call Cell C's new technology "4G".  

And Cell C executives themselves seem to use the term sparingly. Their new technology is in fact the slower HSPA+ which is faster than anything we have in this country at the moment, but not nearly as fast as true 4G (fourth-generation). It's still an advance, but not quite as big as Cell C pretends.

But Cell C is in good company. T-Mobile of the US has also muddied the waters, claiming its HSPA+  system, covering 85 million users, is more pervasive than "any other 4G offering".

Nevertheless, Cell C insists it will be the first African operator to roll out HSPA+ across its entire network, using the 900 and 2100 MHz frequencies.

For its users this means 3.5 times more network coverage, fewer dropped calls, better reception within buildings and unlimited internet access.

The system has been launched in Port Elizabeth, of all places, and will be going into 10 cities. CEO Lars Reichelt promises that 34% of the South African population will be covered by year-end, and 67% by mid-2011, enjoying "better mobile phone service than anyone else out there".

Why PE? "It's big enough to challenge  us but not so big that it’s unmanageable," said Reichelt. "It has a very good cross-section of customers, good topography and size."

With the press launch still in progress, he reported, "people are already queuing at the stores"  - alerted by a wraparound ad feature in The Herald. "Port Elizabeth is now a world-leading city," he said.

This is clearly a change from the previous strategy, Reichelt agreed. "We have been criticised for not investing  in high speed data, but now we want to be one of the best in Africa and the southern hemisphere."

As important as the technology are service and pricing. Said Reichelt: "The network uses HSPA+ technology in the accelerated 900 MHz and 2100 MHz frequency bands and an all-IP architecture, which is why we're calling it 4G: we're 4 Great Speed, 4 Great Service and 4 great pricing."

 - Fin24.com