Alan Knott-Craig, Cell C

Cell C aims to build more than 300 towers across SA by the end of this year, as it seeks to grow capacity.

CEO Alan Knott-Craig says its latest rollout of more sites is progressing well. “We will roll out an additional 100 sites in Johannesburg over the next three months to increase network capacity and improve quality.”

In the last month, Cell C added 19 sites and plans to build another 70 indoor coverage sites in Johannesburg and Pretoria, says Knott-Craig. “By the end of 2013, Cell C will have 4 340 outdoor and indoor sites on air.” Rollout initiatives to increase coverage and improve quality in other regions are also ongoing, notes Knott-Craig. Cell C’s target is to build an additional 319 sites nationally by the end of 2013.

In addition to the new sites, Cell C is also optimising close to 900 existing sites in Johannesburg and Pretoria, to improve coverage and minimise interference on the network in high-density areas. This project should be completed by the end of November.

In July, its majority shareholder, Ogar Telecom, earmarked $350 million – some R3.5 billion at the time – as an additional investment in the company, while the operator also secured a R2.2 million loan. The equity boost follows last year’s $200 million injection, and a further significant investment is scheduled for 2014.

After rolling over some of its debt, the cellular company has R4.7 billion to pump into growing its network and gaining customers, and plans to almost double its installed tower base. Cell C, which launched in 2001, has grown to 11.5 million customers.

Most of the investment is going into network coverage expansion, especially in Johannesburg, and the group has seen its traffic double in the past 12 months. Its current infrastructure cannot handle the increased demand.