Telecommunications group MTN South Africa has increased its network availability score to more than 98% as it modernises its network for resilience.

More than 400 sites have been modernised this year, with another 25% of sites planned during the final months of the year.

Further, MTN South Africa’s 5G coverage has increased to 44%, compared with 35% at the start of the year, completing its 5G 2024 deployment programme scope with 5G deployment on more than 900 sites.

More than 1 060 sites have had LTE upgrades and 145 new base stations have been deployed.

In addition, MTN aims to conclude four commercial proposals for 5G private networks, focusing on the mining sector, manufacturing, education and logistics, in early 2025.

“We are continuously monitoring and optimising our network to meet customer needs for quality and service availability. This level of resilience means that we can maintain our high standards of reliability and quality regardless of any challenges that otherwise may have caused downtime,” said MTN South Africa network executive Rami Farah.

According to Farah, the company’s resilience initiative has led to solid results during load reduction and severe weather conditions in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as the Western and Eastern Cape.

Further, rural villages across South Africa, including Madikwe in the North West, Rooiwal in the Western Cape and Coldstream in the Eastern Cape, have benefited from MTN’s network expansion.

Meanwhile, vandalism and theft at network sites remain challenges, with Farah pointing to 2 000 incidents of vandalism and theft reported across MTN sites nationally during the past quarter.

The most affected regions included the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern region and Gauteng, where heightened criminal activity targets critical infrastructure such as batteries, generators and copper cables.

However, heightened security and community support are starting to make inroads.

“We are actively working with law enforcement and implementing additional security measures, to combat these challenges. Our commitment is to safeguard our infrastructure and ensure that our customers continue to receive uninterrupted service,” said Farah.

Another key initiative to drive sustainability includes the design and development of the MTN South Africa Solar Park, comprising a 5 MW solar PV installation and a 2 MW battery energy storage system with a capacity of 6 MWh.

“Our driving aim is to ensure the previously unconnected gain access to the digital world and unlock the wide array of advantages on offer, whether it is staying in touch with loved ones, watching another Boks win, or seeking education, news and business opportunities,” Farah concluded.