10 May 2022

MTN South Africa will invest R749m (US$51.1m) to upgrade its network infrastructure and deploy new ones in the Western Cape. The telecom operator wants to spend the money on improving network availability, increasing data speeds and expanding its 5G footprint.

The move is part of the company’s program to upgrade its entire South African network (MONZA), which is already 68 percent complete, with another 1,350 sites to be finalized by the end of the year. Some of the money will be spent on building 179 5G telecom sites in the Western Cape. Paul Newman, MTN’s managing director for Western Cape operations, says R10.5 million will be spent on repairing damage caused by vandalism in the province and R64 million on installing new batteries.

MTN South Africa’s investment in the Western Cape comes about two weeks after the company announced a similar investment of $56.4 million in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. In mid-March, the KwaZulu-Natal province benefited from a $46.4 million investment to upgrade its infrastructure. These various investments are in line with MTN’s rural connectivity rollout objectives, which aim to bring telecom services to people in the most remote areas of South Africa.

MTN’s investments are expected to not only improve network coverage, but also enhance the quality of its services in South Africa. “With improved access to data transforming lives, our goal is to make significant strides to close the existing data gaps in South Africa. We are making great strides and our network upgrade in the Western Cape is already nearly 72 percent complete,” Newman said.