Following similar announcements from its domestic rivals MTN, Vodacom and 8ta, South African mobile operator Cell C has confirmed that will also switch on a 4G network based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in Cape Town and Durban in December 2012. TechCentral reports that the launch, which will also cover a number of unspecified coastal holiday resorts, will be implemented on a trial basis ahead of a full commercial switch-on, which will follow at a yet-to-be-disclosed date. Spokesperson Karin Fourie noted that the rollout will be expanded to Johannesburg and Pretoria early in 2013, adding that Cell C will identify heavy users of its network and invite these customers to join the trial.
As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, last month Vodacom became the first South African operator to initiate a commercial LTE network, with 70 operational base stations in Johannesburg. Meanwhile, MTN South Africa is set to go live with its 4G network in Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria by year-end, marking Cell C out as the only operator currently preparing to launch LTE in Cape Town, the second-most populous city in South Africa after Johannesburg, and the provincial capital of the Western Cape.