Vodacom spends R620m to expand township connectivity in Mpumalanga

Source: Unsplash

The investment builds on more than R400m spent in 2024/25, bringing the operator’s total two-year spend in the region to over R1bn. The upgrades aim to expand broadband coverage, improve network capacity, and increase fibre connectivity to homes, schools, businesses, and government infrastructure.

Mpumalanga’s terrain has long challenged operators, but Vodacom says its ongoing rollout of 4G and 5G sites is overcoming those barriers. The company now operates more than 1,300 sites in the province, 41% of which are fibre-connected. Licensed spectrum, including L700, L1800 and L2100, is being used to improve performance in underserved areas.

The operator is also investing in network resilience, deploying mobile boosters, upgrading transmission infrastructure, and adding backup power systems to reduce the impact of grid instability and infrastructure theft.

Data traffic in the province has grown 42% year-on-year, with 90% now carried over 4G.

Vodacom says affordability remains a barrier to access, so it is complementing its infrastructure rollout with initiatives such as Easy2Own — a smartphone financing scheme, and targeted mobile data offers like Just 4 You and Just 4 Your Town. A recent Mandela Day campaign saw the company offer smartphones for R67 at selected stores.

On the public sector side, Vodacom’s smart solutions are supporting municipalities through digital tools such as SmartGov, which automates administrative workflows, and SmartCitizen, which enables issue reporting and real-time engagement. Other tools support utility billing accuracy, infrastructure monitoring, and predictive maintenance.

Vodacom Business is also targeting SMEs with services like cloud hosting, cybersecurity, POS systems, IoT, and fast access to working capital through VodaLend, which offers loans of up to R5 million without collateral.

Vodacom says it is working with local contractors and security firms as part of its network buildout, contributing to job creation and skills development in Mpumalanga.