Last year’s deal saw Cell C’s network coverage extend to areas beyond South Africa’s largest cities, but the new agreement will push Cell C’s coverage to 95% of the South African population, on the back of MTN’s network infrastructure.
This also means nearly 90% LTE coverage for Cell C customers, but the two provides will continue to use their respective frequencies and have control over their own customers’ experience.
“This is a pivotal step in Cell C’s turnaround strategy,” said Douglas Craigie Stevenson, Cell C CEO.
One of the key pillars of this turnaround is to implement a revised network strategy that enables Cell C to manage its network capacity requirements in a more cost-efficient and scalable manner.Stevenson believes that the deal will allow Cell C to avoid building expensive network infrastructure, and focus on “developing innovative and disruptive service offerings that will be welcomed by data-hungry consumers”.
The roaming agreement won’t be felt by Cell C customers immediately. It could take up to three years to implement, beginning in early 2020.
