Vodacom South Africa announced a significant investment of approximately ZAR 100 million (USD 5.5 million) to deploy 106 new base station sites in remote rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal. This initiative is expected to connect hundreds of thousands of people in underserved communities across the province.
The rollout will span 11 district municipalities in the southeastern coastal region, including areas such as Amajuba, eThekwini, Harry Gwala, iLembe, King Cetshwayo, Ugu, Umgungundlovu, uMzinyathi, Uthukela, Zululand, uMhlabuyalingana, uMfolozi, uMlalazi, uMsinga, uMzumbe, uMgeni, Ray Nkonyeni, Mandeni, eNdumeni, eDumbe, Msunduzi, Newcastle, and Nqutu.
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“Ensuring network connectivity for individuals living in deep rural areas is fundamental to Vodacom’s commitment to extending service to those in remote areas. This aligns with our goal of connecting everyone, regardless of whether they live in urban centers, townships, or rural locations, which requires investment. We are focused on eliminating barriers and empowering citizens in rural and township communities to enjoy the same network experience as those in metropolitan areas and, [in] this way, reap the economic benefits of the digital economy,” said Imran Khan, Managing Executive for the Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal region.
This investment forms part of Vodacom’s Rural Coverage Acceleration Programme, which aims to broaden network access for residents in deeply rural parts of South Africa and foster greater digital inclusion.
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“We are committed to constructing and activating these new sites within this financial year. To achieve our goal and expedite the deployment, we are seeking collaboration from the authorities, particularly in minimizing lengthy site approval times. We believe this can be accomplished to assist us in executing a comprehensive rollout of rural sites, facilitating digital transformation, thereby enabling numerous individuals in these regions to access the socio-economic benefits of the internet age,” added Khan.
