Cell C customers now roaming on MTN

Cell C said on Tuesday that it has completed the implementation of its roaming agreement with MTN South Africa.

This means that Cell C customers outside the urban centres can now roam onto MTN’s 3G and 4G/LTE networks.

The operator said the two companies have developed “some great best practices through the roll-out and used these innovative techniques to complete this roll-out in just 16 weeks, well ahead of schedule”.

The agreement sees MTN providing both 3G and 4G services to Cell C in areas where Cell C has chosen to purchase coverage rather than self-build. Cell C customers now have access to thousands of additional sites, of which around two-thirds are LTE enabled.

“Being able to hand over seamlessly from our network to MTN’s without noticing the switch has been the biggest benefit of this roaming agreement. Previously, this was not possible when customers entered roaming areas,” said Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos.

Cell C previously roamed on Vodacom’s 2G and 3G networks. That agreement will be allowed to expire in 2020. Telkom recently signed a roaming agreement with Vodacom, and has said it will allow its existing roaming deal with MTN to expire in June 2019.

Through the new roaming agreement, Cell C’s network service offering is now at 99% 2G population coverage, 96% 3G population coverage and 80% 4G population, Dos Santos said.

MTN South Africa CEO Godfrey Motsa said the deal highlights the value of infrastructure sharing. “By roaming on MTN, Cell C has dramatically boosted its coverage, with a strong focus on rural areas.”  — © 2018 NewsCentral Media