Fixed and mobile operator Telkom announced that the rollout of LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) will begin in more than 50 suburbs across South Africa by the end of the year. The network is intended to offer customers top speeds of over 200 Mbps and eventually up to 3 Gbps. Specific packages and prices for LTE-A have not yet been announced, but Telkom said it will offer customers bigger bundles and higher speeds.

Tarifica’s Take

The enhanced connectivity offered by LTE-A is certainly desirable to data-hungry consumers in many markets around the world, but even in the most highly sophisticated and affluent markets the ultra-high-speed service is still in its infancy. The fact that it is to be offered in South Africa imminently is an indicator of just how rapidly this market is developing.