The Western Cape is preparing for a bustling festive season as visitors flock to its beaches, wine farms, and nature reserves. Vodacom Western Cape has invested R350 million in network upgrades to ensure seamless connectivity during the busy period.
Vodacom has enhanced the quality, capacity, and reach of its broadband network infrastructure across the province.
The upgrades include adding 5G to 50 towers and boosting 4G capacity on 384 towers. To support holiday hotspots, Vodacom has deployed six temporary base stations and built ten new permanent ones.
Carol Hall, Managing Executive for Vodacom Western Cape, said, “As we approach the busy festive season, we are confident that our improvements will help us manage congestion and keep our customers connected even in busy tourist hotspots.”
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Ensuring Reliability in Tourist Hotspots
Vodacom’s network maintenance teams will be fully operational throughout the season, focusing on tourist hotspots. The upgrades also include battery improvements on 119 towers, power infrastructure upgrades on 37 towers, and 29 new standby generators.
However, theft and vandalism at base stations remain a challenge. “Unfortunately, theft and vandalism continue to challenge our goal of providing exceptional connectivity,” Hall said.
She added, “We are actively seeking ways to minimize downtime due to power outages and have adopted a multi-layered approach to managing energy-related challenges.”
The improvements aim to support local tourism and enhance customer experience. Hall emphasized, “Tourism, both local and international, is a key economic contributor. We aim to provide our users with peace of mind and a world-class network experience as they explore everything our beautiful province has to offer.”
With these upgrades, Vodacom is ready to keep Western Cape residents and visitors connected throughout the festive season.