For a long time, many areas outside the big cities were only covered with 3G and forever slow ADSL, if only available. This obviously contributed to the huge digital divide the country has been experiencing. Not only were certain benefits too expensive luxury many could not afford, but it limited what those communities can access. Not anymore! 4G expansion is in full gear!
Speed test done at a rural area shows good speedIn recent weeks, service providers like Cell C have expanded their 4G coverage to many outlying areas in the country. From Ganyesa to Ga- Mokoka, from Ledig in the North West to Ga- Moripane, Ga Modjadji, Malamulele, in Limpopo, to Delareyville, Pampierstad, Kakamas, all these areas can now enjoy LTE_Advanced previously never dreamt of. LTE stands for “long term evolution.” … The most important thing to know is that LTE–A promises to deliver true 4G speeds, unlike current LTE networks. You can expect the real-world speed of LTE–A to be two to three times faster than today’s LTE. LTE gives you a faster Internet experience with speeds up to 69Mbps download and up to 25Mbps upload. With LTE being faster than 3G, you will experience faster online gaming, video streaming, music and app downloads. What does this mean in real terms?
Business benefits?
Farmers can now keep tabs with farming technology and update any live data relevant for their industry. Live surveillance can now be implemented, increasing their security and visibility.
Game farms in the area can share live videos of animals in their farms, thus attracting more tourists, who in turn create more jobs. Drones can be used to scan farm areas and identify veld fires and any poaching activities that might be in process in real-time.
Lodges and Guesthouses can now offer their visitor Wifi, thus attracting more business for themselves. Small business owners in the rural areas can now have full internet access and enjoy smoother streaming than before. More internet cafes can be started more easily and existing ones be more profitable.
Individual Benefits. Schools can now afford cheaper and faster internet than ever before. With LTE-A delivering 200gigs at less than R800, more and more institutions can deliver video material for less. Students can now afford to do research at home by accessing video material for their subjects. This will bridge the gap that has existed between a student from big cities and the one in the rural area.
In cities we take video streaming for granted allowing us to enjoy YouTube, Breaking News, movies, documentaries and study material. These were not available to our rural friends. But this will be a problem of the past. Now we can all access this information at the same time instead of them waiting for mainstream media. Many who had grown up in rural areas have moved to the big cities in search of better job opportunities, leaving behind elderly parents in rural areas. Up to now many relied on cellphones to communicate with the loved ones back home. Now Video calls, can be made simply and efficiently.. One can even have a nannycam back at Ga-Moledi to check on infirm parents and their caregivers. This can also enhance their security since we have had an increase in crime committed against women and elderly parents. One can have CCTV linked to view them live, back in Johannesburg.
This can open up so many ideas and opportunities beyond our imagination. This expansion will broaden the way we benefit from data revolution. There will be an upsurge in data usage and this should translate in price reduction over time. We hope this will be expanded nationwide, even to areas like Kwa-Zulu Natal and Eastern Cape for example.
Service providers like Galactic Hosting, a division in Thoromo Investment, offers various packages to suit your needs. To order your own, affordable LTE-A Internet, go to www.galactichosting.biz/mobile-internet and choose a package to suite your budget and needs. They also supply routers that are 4g enabled.
Together, we can bridge the digital gap in South Africa.