Telkom South Africa is ready to start installing the LTE Advance (LTE-A) connectivity in more than 50 suburbs across the country come the end of the year.
LTE-A can potentially offer speeds of up to 3Gbps and that is why is id considered as the next evolution of high speed wireless connectivity. Telkom has already started upgrading its network to offer customers peak speeds of over 200Mbps, with a view to developing its network to ultimately deliver LTE-A peak speeds of 3Gbps.
Telkom chief operating officer, Dr Brian Armstrong, said: “LTE-A is an integral part of Telkom’s high speed broadband strategy. We believe that, in the coming years, LTE-A will become the de facto mobile data standard.
“Our LTE-A platform runs on the 2.3GHz spectrum, which is unique to Telkom. The spectrum allows us to offer efficient, high quality and stable LTE-A technology, to our customers. The speeds offered on this technology are comparable to those offered over fibre connections, therefore offering an unparalleled wireless Internet experience.”
Dr Armstrong says Telkom aims to have the first areas connected during the course of December. “We anticipate the initial roll-out will be complete by March 2015. The precise LTE-A product offerings and prices are still to be announced, but we can confirm we will offer bigger bundles and greater speeds for an enhanced wireless connectivity experience.”
The initial LTE-A roll-out will enable peak connectivity speeds of over 200Mbps to selected suburbs identified in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.