In South Africa, Cell C Chief Technology Officer Schalk Visser recently announced that the company is conducting 5G testing with network partners Vodacom and MTN. In addition to this, Cell C is working to implement support for Voice-over LTE (VoLTE). The company has also started migrating subscribers to a new billing system.
During this transition period, 1.2 million prepaid subscribers were migrated to the new system in the second week of August, with the remaining subscribers expected to be migrated by the end of the month.
Cell C notified subscribers about the transition, warning them that service may be disrupted on the evening of Sunday, August 25th.
News of Cell C’s 5G tests is significant given that the company has so far been in no rush to adopt the technology. Cell C is the only South African mobile operator that does not currently offer 5G connections, but it is modernizing its core network and in discussions with network partners in preparation for a 5G rollout.
Despite the progress in 5G testing, Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes previously stated that the company is not in a rush to launch 5G products as the benefits of 5G for consumers are not clear. While 5G has huge benefits for businesses, monetizing 5G networks at the consumer level has been a challenge for operators such as Vodacom and MTN. Mendes also clarified that Cell C customers will not be charged extra to use partners’ 5G networks.
Cell C has been making great progress in testing 5G and implementing VoLTE while also transitioning subscribers to a new billing system. Despite these advancements, the company’s main focus remains ensuring a seamless transition for its subscribers, demonstrating its commitment to customer satisfaction.
