Vodacom Western Cape has announced plans to invest R570m in the region to improve network connectivity and energy resilience.

The investment was announced at a briefing on 29 August, where Vodacom representatives explained past investments and future plans.

So what will the R570 million be spent on in this financial year?

The bulk of the investment (R470 million) is going towards improving the quality, capacity, and reach of Vodacom’s broadband network infrastructure in the region.

This includes expanding the 5G footprint of the network. As more customers are onboarded to the 5G spectrum, there’s less congestion on the lower bands — improving the connectivity experience for all customers.

According to Carol Hall, Vodacom Western Cape Managing Executive, the Western Cape has the highest concentration of 5G customers in the country.

However, the focus is not only on 5G. The company will also invest in modernizing its existing network infrastructure, as well as upgrading its base station sites with LTE capacity.

“As we continue to connect for a better future, we remain focused on the quality, reliability and expansion of our network. Our significant investment into infrastructure upgrades is enabling customers to reap the transformative benefits of technology,” Hall said.

Investing in loadshedding solutions

Meanwhile, the remaining R100 million of the investment will go into energy projects. These projects aim to deliver reliable connectivity during bouts of loadshedding.

This is especially important as demand on the network increases during loadshedding. This was noted by Christien Geldenhuys, Head of Network Operations: Vodacom Western Cape Region.

The energy projects build on the previous financial year’s investments. The additional investment will go into buying more standby generators, upgrading batteries, and exploring other energy solutions.

These energy solutions also need to be protected against vandalism. However, Geldenhuys noted that the Western Cape region had the lowest incidents of vandalism in the country.

To combat vandalism, the company has revised how it installs batteries so that it can secure them. But this does make maintenance more difficult.

The overall investment is aimed at improving customers’ experience on the network.

“Our aim is to deliver greater value to our customers through unparalleled network connectivity,” Hall said.

_{Feature image: Frederik Lipfert/Unsplash}