Johannesburg - New cellphone technology will allow you to access the internet up to 10 times faster on your cellphone – but it isn’t widely available yet.
On Wednesday, Vodacom announced the launch of its Long Term Evolution (LTE), another term for faster cellphone internet connectivity.
The cellphone operator is the first network to offer the service in SA.
However, the devices that can access the technology will be available in SA only at the end of the month. Even then, there will be a low supply of them because of global demand, said Vodacom.
LTE is widely considered as 4G technology, the next step in cellphone internet connectivity. 3G is the fastest connection that cellphones can access in SA.
“Technically, it’s 3.9G, but device manufacturers are calling it 4G,” said Vodacom spokesman Richard Boorman.
The 70 live base stations that will provide coverage for the LTE are capable of handling up to 100 megabytes per second (Mbps).
Although users were unlikely to reach this “theoretical” speed, Boorman said their live test on Wednesday reached 63Mbps, compared to 3G’s 2Mbps at the same test.
“On average, I’d say LTE is five to 10 times faster than 3G, but it’s not an exact science,” said Boorman.
He said the new technology would allow for “seamless” video streaming and “almost instantaneous” e-mailing of files of up to 100Mb.
Boorman said online gaming on mobiles would also become a possibility because the connection speeds would be able to handle the relatively high data transfer required to play opponents in real time.
Although the devices required to access the LTE may be more expensive than their counterparts, the technology costs the same as existing data charges.
At the moment, only parts of Joburg are covered, but Vodacom aims to extend it to more of Joburg, Pretoria and parts of Durban and Cape Town by the end of the year.
Vodacom contract customers can activate the service by calling 111 or by visiting a Vodacom shop. However, the LTE service requires a 64k or 128k SIM card and is available only on selected handsets, including the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 phones and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. It is also available on the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet.
Boorman said Vodacom hoped to have these devices in stock by the end of the month, but global demand meant supplies would be limited.
Areas that can access the LTE include, but may not entirely cover, Olifantsfontein, Midrand, Kyalami, Rietfontein, Woodmead, Bryanston, Randburg, Sandton, Emmarentia, Oaklands, Orchards, Waverley, Houghton, Orange Grove, Linksfield and parts of Braamfontein.
A map of the coverage is available on the Vodacom website at www.vodacom.co.za - The Star