WBS has commenced the rollout of its new national LTE-Advanced wireless broadband network. As coverage expands existing iBurst customers will be migrated over to the new LTE-A network and new users will be added.
WBS is building the network using existing sites and facilities leased from independent tower companies and other telecommunications networks. The first facilities leasing agreement has been concluded with Vodacom and will see WBS lease 5,000 high sites onto which it will install its own radio equipment.
The current rollout plan is to have 500 sites active by March next year, 2,000 by the end of 2017 and 5,000 by the end of 2020. In addition to these high sites, WBS is planning to secure a further 5,000 sites from other sources within a similar timeframe.
Equipment will be acquired from the established equipment vendors, the funding for which has been secured from shareholder resources and traditional bank funding. The equipment vendors will also assist with installation and management of the network as is commonplace in the industry.
Source: http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/379/154331.html