Vodacom and MTN are strengthening their networks ahead of the festive season.
Vodacom and MTN, South Africa’s largest mobile network operators, are strengthening their networks ahead of the festive season to handle the surge in holiday traffic, travel and data usage.
This, as mobile operators typically experience sharp increases in voice, data and mobile money activity during December, prompting accelerated upgrades to capacity, additional temporary sites in high-traffic areas, and enhanced resilience measures.
The preparations aim to ensure smoother connectivity for customers on the country’s busiest travel routes, at coastal destinations and in major cities, while supporting the growing demand for streaming, mobile payments and holiday digital services.
In a statement, MTN South Africa says it has modernised, upgraded and enhanced its network in key tourism hotspots ahead of the 2025 festive season, ensuring customers enjoy reliable connectivity during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
According to MTN SA, the proactive investment forms part of its multibillion-rand modernisation programme, focused on building a resilient and future-ready network for all South Africans.
Key high-traffic destinations
With domestic travel expected to peak in a week, MTN says it has significantly boosted capacity and coverage in key high-traffic destinations, such as the KwaZulu-Natal coastal areas, the Western Cape (Cape Town, Plettenberg Bay and Knysna), Eastern Cape (Port Elizabeth, East London and Tsitsikamma), Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
The mobile network operator says these areas typically experience sharp seasonal population increases, placing additional strain on network performance.
To mitigate this, MTN has deployed additional 4G and 5G radio access network capacity, expanded connectivity capacity, and modernised priority sites with improved speeds, reduced congestion and enhanced overall service quality.
“By investing in these critical tourism hubs, we are not only preparing for the surge in demand during the festive season, but also reinforcing our commitment to delivering superior network quality all year round,” says Farhad Essop, MTN SA general manager for network operations.
MTN says it has established enhanced monitoring of traffic patterns shifting to holiday areas and higher volumes on transport routes during this period.
It points out that these improvements will support smoother video calls, faster streaming and downloads, stronger connectivity for digital payments, and more reliable service during peak congestion periods.
“As we head into the holidays, our goal is simple: to keep our customers connected wherever they go,” adds Essop. “These upgrades ensure South Africans and our visitors can enjoy uninterrupted, high-quality connectivity throughout their travels.”
Rival Vodacom says it is pumping a R450 million investment in its network in the Western Cape in anticipation of another record-setting festive season as domestic and international visitors flock to the province.
In a statement, the company says Vodacom Western Cape region has implemented significant network upgrades to meet rising traffic demands, ensuring visitors and residents remain connected during the busy festive period.
“We have invested R450 million this financial year to enhance the quality, capacity and reach of our broadband network infrastructure across the Western Cape. This substantial investment builds on the R350 million invested during the 2023/24 financial year, demonstrating Vodacom’s sustained commitment to connecting communities throughout the region,” says Waldi Wepener, managing executive for Vodacom Western Cape region.
“As we approach the busy festive season, we are confident our improvements will help us manage congestion and keep our customers connected, even in busy tourist hotspots.”
Of the R450 million investment, R223 million is being channelled into radio access network upgrades, covering spectrum deployment, fibre and microwave transmission improvements, and enhancements to the core network.
A further R226 million is dedicated to boosting transmission capacity through expanded fibre rollout, increased microwave bandwidth and key software upgrades designed to support the region’s rising data demand.
To maximise network reliability during the festive period, Vodacom Western Cape has ensured its network maintenance operations will be fully operational throughout the season, focusing resources on areas surrounding holiday hotspots, says the telco.
It adds that network capacity has been significantly improved, with 5G added to 138 towers and additional 4G capacity added to 406 towers.
These upgrades are supported by the deployment of six temporary base stations for holiday hotspots and nine new permanent base stations across the province.
With continued focus on improving network reliability, 213 towers received battery upgrades, 27 towers received power infrastructure upgrades and six new standby generators were installed at key network facilities, says Vodacom.
It says network resilience remains a priority amid ongoing energy challenges. Vandalism at base stations and battery theft continue to be a challenge, it adds.
“We are actively seeking ways to minimise downtime due to power outages and have adopted a multi-layered approach to managing energy-related challenges,” says Wepener.
“By upgrading our infrastructure and investing in high-end site security to mitigate theft of batteries and generators, we are excited to offer our customers superior connectivity wherever they travel. Tourism, both local and international, is a key economic contributor. We aim to provide our users with peace of mind and a world-class network experience as they explore everything our beautiful province has to offer.”
Vodacom explains the region has invested in power backup systems and dual-homing configurations to ensure reliability during load reduction and power disruptions.
Software upgrades across the network will further enhance operational efficiency and enable advanced services, it states.
