Telecommunications group Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Region has invested nearly R100-million over three years to deploy 84 new base station sites across the province as part of a deep rural network project to cover remote areas that have no mobile network connectivity.

Vodacom’s Rural Coverage Acceleration Programme, aimed at expanding network coverage for people living in the deep rural areas of South Africa, rolled out sites in nine district municipalities and 14 local municipalities.

These include Jozini; uMhlabuyalingana; uMfolozi; uMlalazi; uMsinga; uMzumbe; uMgeni; Ray Nkonyeni; Mandeni; eNdumeni; eDumbe; Msunduzi; Newcastle; and Nqutu.

“The R100-million investment in deep rural areas has enabled us to further expand our third-generation (3G) and fourth-generation (4G) network coverage, increase data speed and help reduce our dropped-call rate, ensuring that we continue to deliver on our ‘leading network’ promise,” says Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal operations executive head Ishmael Mathinya.

He explains that the acceleration of Vodacom’s network coverage for people who live in deep rural areas has yielded significant positive societal impact within months, with school-going children accessing the Internet for the first time, job-seekers using their smartphones to apply for jobs online and those previously having to travel long distances to do their banking now able to access financial services online.

Further, Vodacom subscribers have the option of using Vodacom’s zero-rated e-School and jobs portals.

In the 2021/22 financial year, the region will deploy 29 new deep rural base stations across KwaZulu-Natal, covering 14 municipalities, including several areas in uPhongolo; Umtshezi; Okhahlamba; uMzumbe; Ray Nkonyeni; uMhlabuyalinga; Umuziwabantu; Alfred Duma; Dannhauser; uMzimkhulu; uMsinga; and uMhlathuze, besides others.

“The new investment is going to bolster the local economic development, including empowering small, medium-sized and microenterprises, as well as benefiting over 80 communities,” says Mathinya, noting that, by the end of the 2021/22 financial year, the region aims to achieve 95% 4G population coverage in the province.

The KwaZulu-Natal Region’s connectivity expansion follows the connection of 21 villages in deep rural areas across the Free State and the Northern Cape for the first time as part of the rural network expansion programme to deal with coverage gaps in deep rural and township areas.

In May, Vodacom Central Region switched on new 3G- and 4G-enabled base stations in 21 deep rural villages in the Ubuntu, Joe Morolong, Siyancuma, Tokologo, Mangaung, Tswaing, Ga-Segonyana, Kagisono-Molopo, Dikgatlong, Matjhabeng, Sol Plaatjie, Dihlabeng and Naledi local municipalities.

“The new sites are going to provide faster Internet speeds, greater capacity and help to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas of the Free State and the Northern Cape provinces,” says Vodacom Central Region managing executive Tsatsi Mthimunye.

The region has spent more than R207-million to maintain and upgrade network infrastructure across the province during the 2020/21 financial period, with a total of 40 new sites deployed across the region.

About R67-million was spent in the 2020/21 financial year to deploy new sites in rural areas in Bethlehem, Fouriesburg, Clocolan, Fauresmith, Griekwastad, Bothaville, Kroonstad, Postmasburg, Jagersfontein, Parys, QwaQwa, Prieska, Kgalagadi and Theunissen.