In South Africa, Cell C Chief Technology Officer Schalk Visser recently announced that the company is conducting 5G tests with its network partners, Vodacom and MTN. In addition to this, Cell C is working on implementing support for voice-over LTE (VoLTE). The company has also begun migrating subscribers to a new billing system.
During this migration, 1.2 million prepaid subscribers were successfully moved to the new system in the second week of August, with the remaining subscribers set to migrate by the end of the month.
Cell C has notified its subscribers about the migration and has cautioned them about potential service disruptions on the evening of Sunday, 25th August.
The news about Cell C’s 5G testing is significant, given the company’s previous stance on not rushing to adopt the technology. While it is currently the only South African mobile operator not offering 5G connectivity, Cell C has been modernising its core network and progressing discussions with network partners in preparation for 5G deployment.
Despite the progression in 5G testing, Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes previously expressed that the company wasn’t in a rush to launch 5G products, citing that the benefits of 5G for consumers are not obvious. While 5G offers significant advantages for enterprise purposes, the monetisation of 5G networks at the consumer level poses challenges for operators such as Vodacom and MTN. Mendes also clarified that Cell C customers won’t be charged extra to use the 5G networks of its partners.
Cell C is making strides in testing 5G and implementing VoLTE while migrating subscribers to a new billing system. Despite the advancements, the company’s primary focus remains on ensuring a seamless transition for its subscribers, demonstrating its commitment to customer satisfaction.
