Vodacom SA showcases LTE-A in 2600MHz band

Vodacom South Africa has achieved theoretical down/uplink speeds of 270Mbps/40Mbps over Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) network, following its approval to use 2×20MHz of spectrum in the 2600MHz frequency band to showcase the technology, TechCentral reports. Going forward, Vodacom is looking to get permission to extend the field test to a national trial. Group chief technology officer Andries Delport also revealed that that the company has completed its base transceiver station (BTS) equipment upgrade project, which started back in 2008. Under the programme, Vodacom deployed single radio-access network (RAN) technology, which also allows it to quickly upgrade to future technologies. As at September 2014, Vodacom had 10,200 2G sites, 7,800 3G-enabled sites and 1,800 4G/LTE sites; 90% of its 3G BTS now support dual-carrier technology.