Vodacom South Africa is a leading telecommunications company operating in South Africa. The company was established in 1994 following the award of a GSM license to the group. It is a subsidiary of the UK-based Vodafone Group Plc, which holds a majority stake of 60.5%, with the remaining shares held by the South African telecommunications group, Telkom. Vodacom South Africa provides a wide range of communication services, including mobile voice, messaging, data, and converged services to over 55 million customers.
Alias
Vodacom (Pty) Ltd.
Country
South Africa
Type
Mobile Network Operator
Ownership
Vodacom Group
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3G Network

Vodacom has operated its 3G UMTS network over B1 (2100 MHz) since its activation in March 2006. The network provides data rates up to 21 Mb/s.

Network Frequency Band Status
B1 (2100 MHz)
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 3G Network
Launch

4G Network

Vodacom's 4G LTE network went live in October 2012, initially using B3 (1800 MHz) spectrum but later adding B1 (2100 MHz) and B8 (900 MHz). The network has since been upgraded to LTE-A Pro.

Vodacom SA IoT

Vodacom South Africa launched their NB-IoT network nationally in November 2017. The network operates over the company's existing LTE B8 (900 MHz) network.

4G Frequency Bands
Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
B1 (2100 MHz)
10
Active
B3 (1800 MHz)
10
Active
B8 (900 MHz)
5
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 4G Network
Launch

5G Network

After a lengthy wait for suitable spectrum, Vodacom South Africa launched its 5G network in May 2020. The network's initial roll-out comprised 20 live 5G sites, 18 of which are in Gauteng and two in Cape Town.

The network uses a 50 MHz channel in the n78 (3500 MHz) band, granted under a temporary spectrum licence by national regulator ICASA. The company eyes future deployments of n257 (28 GHz) in support of fixed 5G services.

Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
n28 (700 MHz)
10
Active
n78 (3500 MHz)
50
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 5G Network
Launch