MTN Spends R300 Million on Improving Gauteng Communication Infrastructure
MTN South Africa is investing R4.5 billion in a nationwide network infrastructure upgrade, with the aim of completing the project by the end of 2025. This ambitious initiative focuses on expanding 5G access and improving LTE performance across multiple provinces, including key provinces like Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
Investments in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal
Gauteng, the economic hub contributing about 34% to South Africa's GDP, is receiving approximately R300 million for network upgrades. These investments will include adding new base stations, boosting digital backbone infrastructure, and site modernisation with energy enhancements to improve resilience during load shedding.
KwaZulu-Natal is allocated around R480 million to build new sites and increase rural access to 4G and 5G services.
Enhancements and Objectives
The upgrade will introduce and expand 5G coverage into areas currently lacking it, with the goal of completion before the end of 2025. Improvements in LTE service performance are also expected, aiming to provide faster, more reliable connections. Over 70 sites in Gauteng will receive capacity upgrades, modernisation, and energy facility improvements such as better batteries, generators, and site security.
The strategic objectives of this upgrade include bridging the digital divide between urban and rural communities and enhancing access to online educational, health, and business services as part of MTN's Ambition 2025 strategy.
Strengthening Network Resilience
The improvements will also strengthen network continuity during power outages (load shedding) and other disruptions, ensuring stable service. Enhanced battery systems, site security, and energy infrastructure such as deploying generators will be implemented, similar to the improvements in Gauteng.
The network upgrade in KwaZulu-Natal is intended to enhance existing infrastructure, add new base stations, and improve over 70 network sites, similar to the Gauteng upgrade. Completion of the network upgrade in KwaZulu-Natal is set for an unspecified date, similar to the Gauteng upgrade.
A Commitment to Digital Connectivity
This comprehensive upgrade demonstrates MTN South Africa's commitment to expanding digital connectivity nationwide, improving network quality and resilience while enabling broader access to advanced technologies like 5G. The improvements in KwaZulu-Natal will also include hardening the network against load shedding and service disruptions, similar to the Gauteng efforts.
[1] MTN South Africa Press Release
[2] MyBroadband Insights Network Quality Q2 2025 Report
[3] TechCentral
[4] ITWeb
- As part of their Ambition 2025 strategy, MTN South Africa's network infrastructure upgrade in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal will also commit to digital inclusion by strengthening access to online educational, health, and business services in both urban and rural communities.
- The R4.5 billion investment in data-and-cloud-computing, technology, and finance includes the expansion of 5G coverage, improvements in LTE service performance, and network resilience against power outages in both the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa, aiding the digital inclusion of the industry.
