Rain

Rain did not focus on deploying a 3G network, as its strategy was to leapfrog directly to more advanced technologies like 4G and 5G. The company did not participate in the legacy 2G and 3G networks, which are set to be shut down in South Africa by December 31, 2027, according to government policy.

Rain entered the South African mobile market by launching a 4G mobile network on May 5, 2023. This marked the company's transition from focusing solely on home internet solutions to becoming a full mobile network operator. Rain's 4G network was initially launched as a data-only network in June 2018, making it South Africa's first 4G data-only network. The company expanded its 4G network coverage after acquiring spectrum in the 2022 auction, allowing it to offer national coverage in voice, SMS, and data. This positioned Rain as the fourth major telecommunications operator in South Africa, alongside Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom.

Rain was a pioneer in the South African 5G market, launching the country's first commercial 5G network in September 2019. The initial offering was a Premium fixed-5G plan, followed by more affordable fixed-5G plans with speed caps. These services provided fibre-like speeds and latency for households without access to fibre-to-the-home connectivity. However, the service was limited to fixed locations and did not support mobile use on smartphones. As of December 2024, Rain plans to launch mobile 5G services in 2025, making it the fourth operator to offer mobile 5G in South Africa, following Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom. The company has been actively involved in the development of 5G technology, despite challenges posed by the U.S. trade war with China, which affected the availability and cost of 5G customer-premises equipment.