Vodacom achieves 2.4 Gbps throughput on commercial base stations in Midrand campus trial

Vodacom said it achieved 2.4 Gbps throughput on a live site in a trial using a smartphone via commercial base stations that serve its Midrand campus, about 100 times faster than the average FTTH. Beverly Ngwenya, technology director at Vodacom South Africa, said thisdemonstrates its continued innovation as a 5G technology “leader” and shows that fifth-generation mobile equipment can enable “fibre-like” service for users on the go or where fibre installations are not feasible. 

The operator recently acquired 110 MHz of high demand spectrum as part of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s auction and assignment. Vodacom paid ZAR 5.38 billion for a spectrum portfolio that includes 2 x 10 MHz in the 700 MHz band, 1 x 80 MHz in the 2600 MHz band and 1 x 10 MHz in the 3500 MHz band.

Vodacom said that by combining 5G equipment and the correct spectrum, it can significantly increase the performance and capacity of its network. Ultra-high speed will enable a number of 4IR use cases and consumers will receive better service quality.