Vodafone Ghana says it has done a major upgrade to its existing 4G technology and boosted it to 4G+ to give customers an enhanced network speed and facilitate improved services.
Technology Director at Vodafone Ghana, Aatif Jamal Qidwai explained that “4G+ is not just a technical upgrade; it is about reshaping the online experience for our users. We are setting the stage for a transformative leap in mobile connectivity for Ghanaians, providing them faster download and upload speeds on 4G”.
Aatif said that 4G+ uses a method called carrier aggregation which allows supported 4G mobile phones to combine multiple 4G frequency bands, effectively increasing the speed at which users can download or stream content.
“We are currently rolling out 4G+ on most of our existing sites,” he said.
In real terms, Vodafone’s customers with 4G+-ready devices can expect their internet speeds to increase significantly. This has amazing implications for customer experience: smoother video calls, quicker app downloads, and less buffer time for streaming services.
Proving its’ commitment to ensure that as many Ghanaians as possible can tap into this enhanced speed, Vodafone is also rolling out a device financing scheme, where customers can purchase 4G+ capable phones from Vodafone’s retail outlets, paying for them in manageable instalments. Additionally, these phones come bundled with 2.5GB of free data every month for 12 months.
This expansion comes at a time when digital connectivity is becoming ever more vital. Starting with urban centres, where the hunger for high-speed data is most keenly felt, Vodafone intends to roll out this network enhancement nationwide. The initiative aligns with the company’s goal to champion digital inclusivity in Ghana, making the promise of reliable internet a reality for all.
CEO of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai, remarked, “We are so pleased with this fantastic upgrade; 4G+ is a major improvement to the experience that we give to our customers. This aligns with our vision of enabling a digital society where people, businesses and communities can connect seamlessly, and we will continue to do more and give more to our customers.”
Tech Neutrality
It would be recalled that weeks ago, the National Communications Authority introduced technology neutrality which allows non-SMP telcos like Vodafone and AT to refarm their existing spectrum to deploy 4G and or improve their network quality.
Whereas Vodafone did not say whether it took advantage of the technology neutrality regime to upgrade its 4G network to 4G+ plus, some industry watchers believe the upgrade is a sign that technology neutrality is already yielding some positive dividends for Vodafone’s customers.
Indeed, the current majority shareholder of Vodafone Ghana, Telecel Group has long announced its intentions to take full advantage of the regulator’s policies to improve the network and provide customers its great experience.
Another regulatory policy that Telecel swore to take full advantage of, to boost network quality, is national roaming, which allows Vodafone customers to benefit from the MTN network at places where MTN has a better network coverage and vis-a-versa.
Currently, telcos are pushing for spectrum sharing to enable them unleash the full potential of national roaming for the benefit of their respective customers.
Meanwhile, the Communications and Digitalization Ministry has also announced that it is in the process of creating a common infrastructure where all industry players can access spectrum and capacity to rollout 4G and 5G networks. This will mean government will not auction spectrum for 5G as it did for all other technologies, which led to the existing mess in the 4G space in particular.
