Photo by: Duane Daws
Commuters on Gauteng’s Gautrain system will, for a three-day period from Thursday, have access to limited data and voice mobile communication service coverage across the MTN and Vodacom networks in the Gautrain’s underground Sandton, Rosebank and Park stations, the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) said on Thursday.
The service would remain in testing phase until Saturday, after which discussions with various mobile network operators would continue.
“We cannot put exact timelines on the roll-out of [the service]… but [it] is one of the many system enhancements on the Gautrain that have been implemented to ensure that customer experience on the system is convenient, reliable and safe,” the GMA said in a statement.
The pilot project formed part of the early roll-out of the Gautrain cellular initiative, which would see the installation of additional technical infrastructure across the entire Gautrain route and eventual full voice and data coverage in the Gautrain tunnels and along the entire route.
The service was provided by the Strategic Partners Group – an empowerment partner of the Bombela Concession Company.